Astonishing X Men: The Soul's End
by Proudly Pinoy
Summary: What happens when the X Men find themselves embroiled in the War on Terror? As the emergence of a new mutant draws the team to Iraq, they find themselves at odds, not with just their inevitable adversaries, but with each other as well. Complete!
1. As They Gather

**Author's note: Hey, I'm back, with my second in, hopefully, a series of X-Men stories. Anyway, this really isn't a story meant to offend any sensibilities, even with War asthe mainissue, so do keep that in mind when you're reading (that is, I hope you're reading). As for the copyright, yeah,I don't own these guys, Marvel does. Save for the occasional supporting player I throw into the mix of course, so don't sue. So, with that out of the way, and without further adeu, here is the pilot to my new fanfic. I hope you enjoy...**

**Astonishing X-Men: " The Soul's End" **

**Prologue: **

It was beautiful, if you'd take a moment to stop and simply look. Vast stretches of land, untouched by greedy, colonial hands. An endless hue of golden brown, that meets with a sapphire blue sky come the horizon's hued edge. The land between two rivers. Both wallowing in the blood of the innocent. In the far distance, a very privileged female child is playing a run-down piano, for a host of American soldiers taking a break from the day that would inevitably stretch into another month. A pair of chocolate hands extended from the end of the pristine white burka. Frail fingers tapped gently against a set of plastic keys. She used to play for her mother. But those were far simpler times. Twelve miles away, a private dreams of coming home. He thinks of loving his country so much that he would offer his life for her sake. His life. Though deep inside, he promised that he would not let that vow extend to the people who fight for the country that he was standing in now. To serve one's country does not presuppose that one should kill for her. Nor does it give one the right. Deep inside, he believed that. And of every other man, woman and child could think the same way, then odds are that the bullet headed towards him would never have been fired. He turns and glances, just in time, just to find a miniscule sliver of light flash before his eyes. In half a second, the sound of flesh rending signaled the end of the three days that Emerald Company enjoyed without bloodshed. The clock has been reset. The child keeps on playing.

One of the soldiers sitting on the beige, elevated doorstep listened to every note. He was thinking of how, should the child have been born in his country, that she would make a big name for herself. Of how her talent was wasted on barren soil. He believes this so much that he thinks of taking her along with him, once everything was over. His Sheila never did manage to give him a baby. The war will be over. And then he'll come home to the dream. And he'll bring the little girl before him for the ride. It will be for her own good. He will be a hero. She continues to play, an endless melody that reminded the soldiers of what they fought for. The gunfire does not stop. They came in from the cover of direct sunlight, under orders from an ideal that they held in as much regard as their opponents did to warm summer nights and apple pie. Two years ago, none of them needed to carry guns. Neither side questioned whether or not what they did was right. It would have been unpatriotic. Treason. So instead, they march blindly to their darkness, hoping that the rocks would provide cover, that their enemies' guns would jam, that someone would miraculously drop from the sky and tell them that the war was over. There wasn't any need to fight.

Private Christian Lewis has been wishing the same thing over and over for the past three years. And now, as he was pulled away from the body of his dead friend, he could not think of anything else, but the wish. "He's gone, Lewis!" screamed the sergeant as he managed to drag Christian behind the corner of a small home, the bullets flying aimlessly through the air, their purpose, if not to kill, was to at least just hit something. "Where the hell are Vick and Vale?" the sergeant asked out loud, to no one in particular, right before turning the corner and returning fire. _"Oh dear Allah, please not again…don't let anymore of my children die…" _came the faint whisper of a woman's voice, barely above the hiss ofsweeping sands. Yet for some reason, loud enough to be heard through the constant screams and gunfire.

"Sarge!" Christian called, right as his superior resumed cover.

"What the hell is it, Lewis?" the older man asked, straining to get heard over the sound of bullets erupting and concrete churning.

"Did you…I heard a woman's voice! Did you hear- - "

"Vale! Where the flying fuck have you been?" the sergeant interrupted, as a short, young man whose eyes were perennially covered by glasses, hurried to a kneel beside them.

"They got Vick, sir. He was singing 'Sweet Home Alabama' and they just shot him dead." Vale immediately reported in a trembling voice, his eyes clearly resigned to the thought of vengeance for his fallen friend. Both of them were the perimeter guards for the northern block.

"Goddamned terrorists." The sergeant muttered through gritted teeth.

"What? What did you say?" Christian turned to the sergeant, with a look of complete confusion etched on his young face. The sergeant raised his eyebrow, not knowing if the private was serious or not in his inquiry. Nonetheless. "I said 'Goddamned te- -"

"You said we deserve this." Christian remarked, cutting his superior before he could finish his statement. Vale was already busy peering beyond the corner and taking potshots at each opportunity he could.

"…" the sergeant furrowed his brows as he stared at his charge.

"I heard you." Christian whispered.

"…"

"God…I can hear all of you…"

"Lewis…"

"It's not…stopping…! There's a nine year-old boy trying to find the gun his father left behind…I…oh God, I think we killed him…Moore never wants the war to end, he's afraid of going back home…I can hear a piano…"

"Lewis, snap out of it!" the sergeant ordered. Not that it mattered. Christian was already breathing rapidly, his eyes clenched and his teeth grit, as he tried desperately to make sense of the overwhelming symphony of thought and emotion that came crashing down on his mind. A litany of voices, pleas and prayers, each one like a hammer bludgeoning his skull, all at once. And four figures in shadow came to him. Each one with an air of menace that he has never before felt. Each one a vision of what lay beyond. And in an instant, the young soldier's eyes snapped wide open, as he felt the creatures of immense power enter his mind. He could only force himself to whisper. "…they're here."

"Lewis?" With his attention stuck on the ailing soldier, the sergeant never even realized that his nose was already bleeding. It took another second before his vision blurred, and then slowly gave way to white. The sound of bullets and screaming all faded into nothingness, as each man, woman and child began to feel themselves drift away into a cold, heartless embrace. And just as sudden as it all began, the bloodshed ended. The blowing wind was the only sound to be heard. Nothing remained.

Four hundred miles away, three old men and a middle-aged woman sat around a small table, in a room guarded by no less than the combined technology of Stark Industries, and the House of ideas. The woman leaned forward, resting her chin on the back of her palms. "The world can't take any more of this." She declared, her voice cold and stern. "Our ability to govern has been put to question one too many times. The war that our little puppet hopelessly entrenched himself in is neither flattering, nor helpful, and I suggest we take action. Immediately." With a soft sigh, she leaned back, their eyes and ears fixed on her frail silhouette.

"Gentlemen, I believe it's time to end the war."

**Chapter 1: "As They Gather"**

Even beneath the morning sun, when the bright lights were still at rest, Times Square was still a proud sight to behold. A massive intersection where you could see men and women of all walks of life, culture and religion, walking by, like some cosmic melting pot of humanity. And of beings who already evolved past humanity. Mutants. The next rung in the evolutionary ladder, where a couple in love were born into. "I still can't believe you're going through with this." Scott Summers remarked as he held his girlfriend by the hand. It's been awhile since he's shaven, and combined with his perennially uncombed, dirty brown hair, it more or less proved the point, given his girlfriend's own appearance, that even externally, opposites do attract. Not that Scott wasn't handsome, as he did earn a smile from a lot of women who he passed by. "We should be looking for that psychic spike you felt a few hours ago."

"No need to worry, Scott. My very capable girls are on the case as we speak. Besides, dear, you promised." Emma Frost stood out from the New York crowd without any effort, thanks in particular to a body that could only be described as the combined masterpiece of a dozen or so cosmetic surgeons over the past half-decade. Her golden hair seemed as silk as it fell gracefully against her shoulders, nudging and then falling back into place at the slightest breeze.

"You already know that you're worth the world to me." Scott pleaded, rubbing the back of his neck.

"Of course, honey. It's just that I want an exact value." Emma retorted, as they stopped in front of the pedestrian lane due to the red light. "Besides, you don't hear me complaining when I let you watch that horrendous excuse for entertainment." She then reminded.

"First of all, this is different. Appraising you isn't like watching television. Second, don't say that about wrestling. I'll have you know that what those guys from the WWE are doing is like poetry in motion." Scott quickly defended.

"Yes. Like poetry written by a neurotic three-year old."

"Uh-huh. Don't think I don't notice that you're eyes get glued to the screen whenever that show-off Randy Orton performs." Scott retorted, his eyes fixed on the red light that prompted them to stop from crossing.

"A neurotic three-year old with good taste in men." Emma replied with a half-smile. The light turned green.

"Behold!" interrupted a bellowing cry, coming from the sky itself. The mutant couple, as well as most of the people on the city streets, stopped and looked up. With the sun behind him, a middle-aged man stood defiantly on top of a large, hovering disk that was strong enough to hold his weight. On his rather thin figure was a white lab coat, and a slew of robotics slung on his wait and on his metal hardhat. "I am the Mystifier!" he further shouted, holding his hand out like a king would talking to his subjects. "And I will show you, show all of you! That you're beauty-obsessed culture and supermarket politics will not go unpu- -" Before he could finish however, he was interrupted by a woman's loud laugh.

"Oh God, I'm sorry, I'm sorry…" Emma apologized in between fits of laughter, while Scott stared intently at the possible threat that the man could pose. "How terribly rude of me…please, do continue. This should be classic…" She urged, as she attempted to regain composure. The people around Emma and Scott was quick to recognize who they were, though most of the other New Yorkers, already too jaded to consider the threat level of the man hovering above them, would readily admit that it was curiosity which prompted them to stay and listen.

"Do you think this is funny, woman?" the villain asked, clenching his fist and waving it in front of him. "You…women like you represent what is wrong with the world! Letting achievement get seconded by luscious lips and zero body fat!" he ranted on, oblivious of the growing number of policemen in the area, each one with a hand ready on their gun holsters. "This world needs change! And pacifism will get us nowhere!"

"Emma. He could have explosives in that utility belt of his." Scott whispered. "Bombs plus a lot of people make for 'not good'. I don't have my visor to adjust my beam, so I don't think I can hit him without killing him." He then said, a little worried that an optic blast could be enough to cut the frail, little man in two. "Oh, alright. In that case…" Emma, without effort or hindrance, used her mutant, telepathic abilities to patch right into the villain's mind. _"…you sir, are going to stop your mindless dribble. Right this instant." _She instructed, forcing the man into a zombie-like trance.

"Now, be a sweetheart, and fly yourself down here." She then ordered, to which the Mystifier quickly complied. "Also…Mr. Harris was it? Yes, that's you're real name, Mr. Harris, seeing as you've got unlicensed weapons-grade technology on your person, don't you think it would be most prudent for you to turn yourself over the proper authorities? We have quite a few fine men and women of the law in attendance after all." She suggested, prompting Mystifier to step off of his hover-disk.

"…proper…authorities…" he drunkenly repeated.

"That's very good. And while you're at it, you most certainly will defuse those explosives you have strapped on your person. It's really quite unhealthy."

"…defuse…explosives…"

"Oh, and do you have anything to say to these people?" she asked, raising her eyebrow.

"…sorry…for…wasting…your…precious…time…"

"That's a good boy." Emma remarked, patting the villain on the head, before having him go his way. The police officer simply stood in shock as Mystifier walked up to him, his hands outstretched, begging to be sent to jail. In a second, the murmuring began. A young man led his friends in cheering for the two mutants, while another began to jeer at what they deemed to be abominations passing for human. Some people really did favor pride so much that they wouldn't forsake it even at the world's end.

_'This is awkward." _Scott remarked, directly in Emma's mind, right as his hand was being shaken by an overly appreciative elderly woman.

_"You're the one who's been clamoring for some public approval. Here it is. And by the way, that's not a woman you're shaking hands with." _She responded, furrowing her eyebrows as she felt some malicious thoughts glowing from a young adult on a corner.

_"Please tell me you're joking." _

_"I'm…huh?" _Emma suddenly turned to the massive screen hanging in the middle of Times Square, a second before everyone else did. The bright, bold letters of CNN marched on screen, the logo of the company newsflash appearing soon after. A woman came next, her hands trembling, as she held a file of papers in both her hands. "Breaking news…" she reported, a breath of disbelief clear in her voice. "…tragedy has befallen our soldiers in Iraq, as four entire companies, died suddenly, from what the Government is calling a desperate suicide attack by the enemy soldiers. There is no official word from the American military as to what caused this sudden disaster." She then said, trying in vain to muffle the emotions that seeped through her voice. "This… treacherous attack did not end with our armed forces, as reports of civilian casualties reaching the thousands have come in, all of whom apparently suffered through the same manner that our troops have…"

**Xavier Institute, Campus Grounds/11:36**

"Oh…that's horrible." Katherine Pryde, more commonly called 'Kitty' by her friends, felt her heart sink as she heard the tragic news. Being a guidance counselor meant that you needed to be prepared for anything. For whatever emotion that a confused child would throw your way. On the bench where she was, Emily Walters sat as well, the child in question, her head hung low, her eyes in a defeated glaze. At first glance, one would think them both students. Both had brown, shoulder-length hair tied back to a tail, and both were unknowingly the object of half the school's male population's desire.

"God…it makes me so…I don't know how to make things right again…like, how can anyone make this better…?" the young woman whimpered. "Is it…maybe it's like punishment. Karma or something…"

"Well…if you look at things from a different perspective…maybe it isn't all that bad." Kitty suggested.

"What?" Emily shook her head in disbelief. "What do… how can it be not bad? Were you not listening to anything I just said? My life is over! Kevin Myer turned me down for formals in front of the entire class! I…we were supposed to have a moment! You know? Like in those romance movies? But now, after he…I can never, ever show my face in this school again! I'm ruined!"

"Emily…look at it this way. How many times have you spent…infatuated with this boy? Every day, right? And like you said, you're worst nightmare came true, he turned you down. But imagine if you never asked. You'd still be spending everyday making up scenarios where he acts like prince charming, which he, clearly, is not. If you didn't ask him out, then you'd be spending like, the rest of the year hoping for something that won't ever come. And spending the rest of your days hoping for something that jus won't happen…that's a lot worse."

"…" Emily bowed her head, letting the counselor's words sink in.

"And would you like for it to continue? Spending everyday, wondering if he'd…if he'd just talk to you? Smile at you? Tell you how he really feels, and say every line where he says every right thing every right time? Well, at least now, you know. It's not a fairytale. You know that he isn't the person you dreamed about, and you can start finding someone who actually appreciates you for who you are."

"…" Emily slowly nodded.

"Kevin Myer…it's, he…it's just a phase. Was a phase. And now, it's over. You grabbed an opportunity to follow your heart, and even if …it didn't work out the way you hoped for, at least you did it. And you'll be the better for it. Because sometimes, talking to someone you like takes more guts than saving the world."

"I…oh my God…" Emily tilted her head back, a look of realization evident on her face.

"Yeah." Kitty smiled at the sight of the student's face lighting up. It made her job all the more worth it.

"Oh my God…were you just projecting? You were, weren't you?" the student then asked, with a mischievous smile.

"Excuse me?"

"You totally went to another place for a second, there." She then commented, seemingly out of her dreary phase.

"…Okay, maybe."

"Is it about Mr. Rasputin? Because you know, everyone's talking about you two."

"Uh-huh… maybe that could be a topic for another day. Or decade."

"Ha ha…thank you…Miss Pryde. Really."

"…"

"I totally feel a lot better now. Because…because I know what you said…it really came from the heart."

**Woodshed/11:53**

"So when are you gonna' quit the Hagrid act? Cuz' you know, I got it first, and I already got it down to an art." Logan remarked as he threw his long-dead teammate a cold one.

"Hagrid? Is that a band?" Peter Rasputin asked as he caught the bottle, clearly unaware of the reference.

"Never mind." Logan responded. He of course, was referring to a literary creation, who like them, opted to stay in a small cabin inside the campus grounds. And even though it was Logan who had as much body hair as the aforementioned character, it was Peter who was much more reclusive. Which meant the young ladies of the campus needed to be creative to catch the black-haired, extremely well-built man with a heart of gold. And a limited vocabulary. "I… like it here. It gives me time to think. Away from noise." Peter remarked, looking out the open window and into the vast expanse of trees.

"You know, I've been meaning to ask…" Logan started, not one to usually be hindered by political correctness or thoughts of sensitivity.

"Yes?" Peter asked, his mind still apparently in a hundred places at once.

"How did it feel?"

"How did what, feel?"

"You know. Dying. I mean, for more than twenty seconds." The Canadian mutant asked, as he would usually find himself legally dead in a few of their more intense battles, a process which his mutant healing factor always managed to overturn. To be alive for more than the better half of a century meant a greater deal of curiosity for seeing what was on the other side.

"Huh. That."

"I know everyone probably asked you, but I…"

"…it felt…terrifying." Peter admitted after a moment's silence.

"…"

"People must look at us now…superheroes…think we do not fear death. Untrue. My last few moments…I wondered if what I did could make difference. I thought of what I would see in the world beyond, but at the same time I kept thinking if there was nothing. That death was simply ceasing to exist. To not exist, I find it frightening. To die without making a difference in the world, that is much worse."

"…"

"Now I see my death meant nothing." Peter whispered.

"That's not true." Logan immediately protested.

"World is still suffering. People are still killing each other because they want more than what they already are so blessed with."

"…You saved the mutant race from extinction, Pete. That means a lot."

"And how many times have the X-Men saved the world? Without getting themselves killed?"

"…you know, I was watching you, back in the fight with Danger."

"…Didn't go very well. Nearly got killed, for real."

"We won the day."

"…It wasn't easy."

"We missed you, Pete."

"…Thank you."

"And maybe the reason you're back, is because the world still needs saving. A lot more saving."

"…Perhaps."

"Hey, lighten up. Coming back from the dead may be as common as a bar fight for us X-Men, but it doesn't mean we don't jump for joy inside."

"…"

"It really wasn't the same without you, Pete. Really wasn't."

"…You didn't have anyone to throw you at sentinels, didn't you?" Peter asked with a smirk.

"God, was I bored."

**X-Laboratory/11:38**

"A heart full of love…a night bright as day…" Henry McCoy took a deep breath as he leaned forward and examined the mounted specimen on his microscope. Not every humanoid, blue-furred feline had the capacity to analyze samples of mutated mesenteries while singing the entire libretto of Les Miserables at the same time. "…and you must never go away…" The new students always felt uneasy when they'd first lay eyes on a were-cat perennially clad in a white lab coat, with the only exception being five telepathic sisters whose combined intellect and strategic abilities rivaled most of the adult X-Men.

"Are you there, girls?" Henry asked, feeling the presence of an invisible force hovering around his mind.

_"Mr. McCoy, we're ever so sorry to interrupt, but have you heard the news?" _came icy the voice of three sisters, the ones still alive, speaking as one.

"Huh? No, I'm afraid not. I've been in here studying cell samples all morning. I've been hearing rumors of a man who surpassed our stage of evolution, calling himself homo supreme. Apparently, he is staying in Milwaukee along with a vigilante group." Henry responded out loud.

_"Well ,that is interesting, but if you would allow us to borrow your mind for a second…" _they declared. _"…this is something you need to see." _Without any effort, nor wait for consent, the three sisters used their psychic abilities to extract Henry's subconscious, leaving his body at motionless at attention.

_"Ladies you must know uncomfortable I am about my mind getting swung like a gibbet." _

_"We could just patch you into one of the students' brains, but you wouldn't want to see the junk floating around most kids' heads. Now… open your eyes." _

In an instant, Henry found himself in front of a woman whom he recognized. A raven-haired news anchor named Trish Tilby, who was busy reading the report on her hands. He wasn't there of course, though he felt as if he were, down to the last chill he felt from an overpowered air conditioner. It wasn't the reality of the illusion that struck him however, no matter how spectacular it may be. It as the woman's words. "…reiterates that this level of desperation by the enemy means only one thing. Our troops are coming closer to achieving victory over terrorism. We will have more on this…"

_"…Fill me in, girls." _Henry thought, not needing his years as both a super hero and a world-renowned scientist realize that the Government was hiding something.

_"Do you recall the psychic spike that we all felt five hours ago? We're in Cerebra now, and we've pinpointed telepathic radiation levels that are…quite stunning, in the exact same spot where all those people died. This wasn't a suicide attack, Mr. McCoy." _

_"I trust you have a fix on our new mutant?" _

_"Unfortunately, no. We lost him."_

_"Any idea who's side our mutant is on?"_

_"That, again, is out of our sight. We think that a team should be sent on recon Mr. McCoy. We can't risk a mutant that powerful running out there. It would be disastrous to public relations should it be discovered that one of our kind was responsible for this." _

_"Your compassion is overwhelming. Emma must really be proud of you girls." _

_"Now isn't the time for recycled wit, doctor McCoy. Think about it. If it is one of theirs, then it would be up to us to make sure that he or she doesn't do anything of this scale again. But if it was one of ours…well, do you think that after an attack like that, they wouldn't retaliate in kind?" _

**Abandoned Hospital, South of Baghdad/12:00 **

They walked as slowly as caution would permit, each and every one invoking a life's worth of military training to assure their survival. The hospital was empty now, abandoned because of the war. Once white walls were now brown and grey, with trays and bed sheets gathering as much dust as they possibly could. "…" An African-American lieutenant took first to checking each room, left and right, just to make sure that the perimeter was secure. A taxing job all things considered, especially since there were about a hundred rooms in the building. "Clear?" he asked, as he finished a seep of the second floor. The sergeant seconded the motion. "Come on, we still have some- -" The lieutenant found himself cut off as he felt an imbalance in the room, a new presence so to speak, that one with training such as his could immediately pick up. "What is it, sir?" one of the soldiers asked, a little concerned as he watched his superior turn and scan the corridor with his eyes. A dead silence stared back.

"Maybe it's a hostile." One of them eagerly suggested, clearly much too excited at the prospect of a fight.

"Can it, Connor. We've run them off this sector months ago. This is just to make sure we there aren't any refugees starving to death in here or something…" one of the soldiers protested.

"Let them starve. We come here to save them and they spit on our hands." Another one bitterly responded.

"Come on Justin, these poor souls don't know any better…" chided another.

"Whatever. We don't discuss these things, we just do our jobs. Understood?" the sergeant remarked.

"Yeah, well maybe these refugees are packing hea- -" before Connor could finish his sentence however, he noticed the figure of a woman, clad in a blood-red burka with a net curtain covering her eyes, standing at the hallway's end. "What the…?" The rest of the soldiers turned just in time to watch the woman slowly raise her hand in front of her. The soldiers strained for a moment, to see what it was that she meant by doing so. "The new world…" hissed the woman, right as her hand began to violently convulse. The soldiers could only stare in shock as the woman's hand permuted into an organic blade, so long that it reached her feet. It had long, thick veins where the handle should have been, and the throbbing blade was the color of flesh and blood. "You've got to be kidding…" one of them muttered as the woman began to walk the rather large distance between them. "This some kind of trick? You know Gretzky could pull shit like this off…" another soldier remarked, even though his finger was already ready at the trigger. "Guys she's getting- -"

"Hold it!" The lieutenant ordered, raising his weapon and aiming at the still approaching woman. "Drop that hand, lady!" He instructed. She did not heed him. "Come on, I don't want to have to- -" Without warning, she charged forward, much faster than anyone could imagine. "Shit!" the lieutenant opened fire, hitting only air as the woman inhumanly leapt from the ground and onto the wall, where she continued to run. Only the red of her cape seemed visible to the soldiers, as they even their eyes proved too slow to catch her each move. "Fire!" Now with the threat all too real, Connor stepped forward, got on his knee, and proceeded to spray the wall with gunfire.

Once again, his effort proved fruitless, as the woman simply jumped to the other wall, seemingly defying gravity as she pleased. "Don't let her- -" In an instant, she then jumped to the ceiling, and kicked herself off, slashing right through Connor as she got to the floor. It killed him instantly. The sergeant re-adjusted his aim, a second too late, as he found himself staring down the point of the woman's blade. Second man down. Opposite where he fell, the youngest of them took aim, as he watched the woman from behind. No time to think. With a deep breath, he opened fire, only to miss at point blank, as the woman bent forward, kicking her heel back in order force the soldier's barrel upward. She then turned, grabbed the soldier by the collar, and pulled him in front of her, right as the sergeant opened another volley of gunfire.

A muffled scream escaped the young soldier's lips as he felt his body violated by a dozen shards of steel, punishing his system with contemptuous ease. She then jumped from behind him as he fell to the floor, a vision of crimson death, who raised her scythe in a half-circle over her head. "…!" The lieutenant raised the barrel of his rifle, much too late, as the woman came upon them, effortlessly decapitating both him and the sergeant with one fell swing. She landed in silence, in a grace that would make you believe she was simply stepping down a staircase, instead of ricocheting all over the place. One last soldier stood in her way. He had bright, blue eyes and freckled skin. Paralyzed by fear. The woman stopped an inch in front of him, her hands seemingly disappearing beneath the robes of her burka. "What is your worth?" she asked, in a soft voice. But before anything could even register for the young man, the woman shot her hand up, literally pushing her palm right through the soldier's face with ease. "…Nothing." She whispered, as she watched the soldier crumple to her feet.

"…" The woman then turned around, finding three more females clad in crimson burkas, just like hers.

"Laikana." The middle one greeted, while the other two remained deathly silent.

"Sisters." The woman called back, bowing her head to the women she considered, and truly were, her superiors.

"…six soldiers in under a minute. Huh."

"…"

"Cheesy line though. I give you a four out of ten."

**Chapter 1, End**

**On the next chapter...where key players are introduced, fallouts begin their falling, and no one focuses on the mundane.**

**Author's note: There you go, also, I've taken some liberties with the military establishments, just so i don't go and get myself flamed for being inaccurate. At any rate, I hope you enjoyed, and be good people. Review. For the love of all that is holy, review:) **


	2. Supporting Characters

**Author's Note: That was quick. Okay, chapter two, I have to warn you that the first half of the entire story is pretty much dialogue driven. Granted, I'll make it up for in the latter half, but still, those of you who want action with their tea, then you'll probably sleep through this. Doesn't mean you shouldn't review though:) Anyway, I decided to upload this up fast on account of my mom taking the laptop out of the country with her, and seeing as my PC is busted, odds are it's going to take some time before my next installment:( **

**Doza: Hey man, thanks for the rev. I'm gonna warn you off the bat that this is gonna take a lot of exposition before the thing goes full steam. He he, hope you stay for the ride. **

**Mad Rose: You got me there, the whole counselor thing was pretty much ripped off from my fave Buffy episode of all time, "The Body". It's pretty much my thumbs up to Whedon, since I try to put some of his touches on all my current work. **

**Previously on…**

**The Astonishing X-Men are a team of mutants, led by CYCLOPS and EMMA FROST, who fight to protect a world that has long feared and hated them. Their recent rise in popularity though, thanks in part to their recent ream-ups with the celebrity/superhero team Fantastic Four, as well as the trendy new lease on what people call "Mutant Culture", have made their lives all the more bearable. The resurrection of their long dead teammate COLOSSUS, has also improved their morale. **

**On the morning of September eleven, the world was horrified to witness the fall of the Two Towers, the result of two passenger airplanesgetting commandeered directly into them. The death toll was flew past the thousands. After recognizing that it was an act of terrorism, the American Government and her close allies, have decided to wage a war on Terror. This was four years ago. The War on Terror still rages on. **

**When an American brigade find themselves under heavy attack from Iraqi guerilla, one of them, CHRISTIAN LEWIS, suddenly begins to feel the thoughts and emotions of every one surrounding him. Unable to take the enormous strain, he sees a glimpse of four women covered in blood red burkas, right before uncontrollably releasing a psychic shockwave that kills everyone in a four hundred mile radius. No one has heard from him since. Telepaths from around the globe, including the gifted STEPFORD CUCKOOS, all felt the psychic spike that ended so many lives.They fear the world's possibly violent response when they find out that it was this tragedy was the result of a mutant losing control over his powers. In the meantime, a small squad of U.S. marines who were patrolling an abandoned hospital, which was already under American territory, find themselves face to face with a woman in a blood-red burka, the very same one that Christian saw before he overloaded. They do not survive the bloody encounter with the woman in the burka, who proves to be only one, and apparently weakest, of four…**

**Chapter 2: "Supporting Characters"**

"We better leave, Scott." Emma whispered as the psychic tension from the news began to escalate. Shock. Confusion. Loss. Terror. Each and every one evident on the faces of the people as the news of the recent tragedy in Iraq finally began to sink in.

"Do you think…?" Scott turned to his lover, who, even with telepathic talents that once defeated a Phoenix, was clearly feeling the strain of countless cascading thoughts and emotions that came her way.

_"Yes. My girls just confirmed it...we have an omega. Now if you don't mind, I'm getting a terrible headache." _

"Come on, lets…" Scott grabbed Emma's hand and stopped to a halt just as he turned. There were two men in not too far a distance who immediately caught his attention. Both of them wearing black suits and matching sunglasses. _"…are they looking at us?" _Scott telepathically inquired. One of the things that propelled him to being the X-Men's team leader was because his instincts were almost always right on mark. And at that moment, his instincts were telling him that the day was about to get much more interesting.

_"Scott. Left." _Emma then noticed, prompting her lover to turn to the direction she had just specified. Another two men came; both of them just like the pair in the short distance. _"They have scramblers." _Emma bitterly noted, grimacing at the device that prevented telepaths from probing minds. Though thankfully enough, she had to admit that the static the scramblers they wore managed dampen the psychic tension around the area, making it much easier for Emma to shut the noise out. _"The fact that they're wearing scramblers means that they meant to confront us." _She then remarked, as she stood defiantly beside her husband. Emma never was one to be intimidated so easily. Scott took a deep breath for a second, as his eyes switched from the pair coming from their left and the one at front.

"Mr. Summers? Miss Frost?" one of them called, finally drawing a badge from his breast pocket. "Agent Nolan." He greeted. "CIA." Not too obvious. Granted, he seemed to look a little too young to be an agent. His hair was short and brown, a little like Scott's, only much better groomed. It wouldn't surprise much of anyone to hear, after seeing him, that he was every woman's, and a few men's desire, back in his days at the academy.

His partner, only a few years older, though seemingly looking much, much more; must have hated having been paired with someone who looked like a Greek god for a partner. Not that good looks carried over to performance. "Agent Cooper." He then greeted, flashing his badge as well. It was a little too quick an action, quite possibly because he didn't want anyone to scrutinize a photo taken years back, when his hairline hadn't receded and his eye bags didn't hang so low. But other than that, like his partner, he was in peak, physical condition.

"May we help you?" Emma asked, not at all shy of letting her impatience seep through her voice.

"We need to talk." Agent Nolan declared, taking a step back and gesturing at their black limousine, carelessly parked on by the sidewalk. "We know you're parked about six blocks away, and we're pretty sure that neither of you feel up for a long walk."

"…?" Emma narrowed her eyes as she felt the presence of somebody important behind the tinted windows. Someone extremely important. A woman.

"Is there anything we can help you with, sir?" Scott asked, keeping his end of the proceedings much more civil, even though his question still meant an initial refusal to concede to the agent's offer.

"Apparently so." Cooper responded. "We have a very big problem on our hands."

"That person inside." Emma noted, turning her attention to the more attractive of the two. "You have a telepath in there."

"…Yes. And she really needs to talk to you." Nolan responded. Emma furrowed her brows as she turned once again to the black car.

"It's about Iraq, isn't it?"

**Male Dormitories/12:10**

Mark Vasquez stretched his arms with a loud yawn as he got up from bed. One of the worst things to ever happen in school was to have only two classes for the entire day's duration, and endure nine long hours between the first and the second. Thank God for dormitories. With a soft sigh, he let his weary gaze fall on the empty bed, parallel his own. Someone else was using it now, but he already left for class when Mark was still asleep. It used to be where his best friend slept. "…" Mark rubbed the back of his head and got to his feet. The hair on his head had already grown, a little over half an inch from his usual shaven style. He knew that it wasn't as trendy as it used to be, but he preferred the comfort of not having to spend the entire morning working with gel and mousse.

_"Mark?" _came a soft, telepathic voice, right into his head.

_"Hey, baby." _He responded in kind, a sweet smile involuntarily crawling up his cheeks. He would be an idiot not to, since his girlfriend was one of the most beautiful women in campus. Well, one of three.

_"I like it in your dreams." _Mindee, one of the three talented Stepford girls, replied. Even though they draw upon a combined hive mind as the source of their formidable psychic abilities, Mindee has been finding herself more and more independent of her siblings.

_"Maybe because it's only you in there."_ Mark answered. He was her reason why.

_"Good answer." _Mindee whispered,a little glad that Mark couldn't see her blushing like a cherry.

_"Where are you?" _he then inquired, as he got off the bed and began to pull on a pair of jeans.

_"Cerebra .Miss Frost has us looking in one something." _responded Mindee, referring to the omega level mutant that they were tracking.

_"Don't you ever have class?" _

_"Dean's list. Unlimited cuts are a privilege." _

_"You read the teachers' minds, that's why you get straight A's. Admit it." _Mark shambled towards his desk, where he grabbed a black jacket and put it on.

_"Of course not!" _Mindee protested, using her telepathy to give make him feel a little nudge on his shoulder.

_"Ha ha, I'm kidding." _

_"So… you've slept through the whole morning?" _Mindee then asked, the tone of her voice becoming much more somber.

_"Why? Did I miss anything?" _Mark asked, knowing Mindee well enough to realize that something wasn't right.

_"…Something happened in the Middle East." _

_"Huh? Middle East? You mean, like, Iraq?" _

_"Yes. Iraq. We're investigating a psychic spike that happened about four hours ago." _

_"New mutant?" _

_"Apparently so. Unfortunately for everyone in about four hundred miles around this mutant, he or she caused a total, nervous shutdown .There are about a thousand people dead."_

_"Oh…shit. You're serious?"_

_"I'm in your brain, of course I'm serious."_

_"Wait, wait, so, everyone knows that it's a mutant who did this?" _

_"No. Everything's under wraps. And after Logan's little attempt at the president's life using Cerebra, all the important people have started wearing mind scramblers. We can't get any juicy bits from any of them." _

_"This should really set back world peace for about a couple more hundred years…"_

_"If we're lucky. It's going to be disastrous if they find out that it's a mutant who caused all this."_

**Dormitory hallway/12:15**

Chris Del Rosario took a deep breath as he lifted his hand off of the doorknob. Words could not describe the discomfort of having to take the place of somebody a person loved deeply. Of a person that many loved dearly. Maybe that's why he never set foot in the room until the day's end. When he knew that Mark was either out with Mindee or already fast asleep. And maybe that's why he always made sure that his bed, the bed that Mark's best friend formerly occupied, was always kept tidy. Just for the illusion that no one else slept there. No one undeserving.

Unlike either Mark, or Mark's lost best friend, Chris didn't have a face he could wear proudly to school. Not that he was unattractive. He had an average frame for an eighteen year old Hispanic, and hair that was short and messy. It was just that he hid himself behind so eyeglasses and books, that no one ever noticed him. So much so that he didn't even need his mutant power of invisibility to disappear off the campus' face. All he needed to do was stand still and keep quiet.

"This is stupid." Chris muttered to himself as he turned away from the door and silently made his way down the empty hall. There was an open window at the very end, one that cast a soft, yellow glow on the corridor's end. It blurred the window frame. You could hear the faint sound of life beyond it. For a moment, a small shadow interrupted the ephemeral blanket, as the sound of fluttering wings echoed through. A feather fell. "…" Chris didn't pay attention to any of it as he turned the corner and headed for the stairwell.

**Campus Grounds/12:16 **

The feather made no sound as it met the bright, green grass. It was four minutes before the next class would start, and most of the students were already on their way to their respective buildings. Those who didn't have class though, preferred to simply lounge about the extensive campus grounds. One such student was Sooraya Qadir, an Afghani student who has been through a lot of things that no person should ever suffer through. Yet even though she met darkness in the past, it did not succeed in quelling her strong heart. Just one of the things that made her special. But even still, no matter how much one would try, any mere resemblance to a source of grief could warrant undue pain. And the recent massacre in Iraq could be described as such. She moved like a shadow beneath the bright sun, due to the fact that she still preferred wearing a black burqa in school. She may have been better of re-thinking her attire, as she was bombarded with uncomfortable glances the entire morning. Cold eyes, that almost looked like an accusation.

"Don't mind them, Sooraya." Kitty whispered as she walked alongside the nervous Afghani. "It's just a phase. People don't know how to react to…moments like these."

"…perhaps it would have been better if I went on the field mission with the rest of my squad." Sooraya whispered; as she looked down to avoid making eye contact with the other students. Her squad of course, was the Hellions, a team of students who were under Miss Frost's tutelage. And even though they were not the most well-liked squad in campus, they more than made up for it with the sheer abilities that they masterfully wielded.

"Uh…they're handling a civilian case; I don't think it'll be much better if you were out in the open. At least in here…well, at least here people already know you." Kitty finally responded after a moment's thought.

"They look at me as if I am to blame."

"They're just…confused. It's like…well, they know it wasn't you Sooraya. I'm sure of it. You've been with us for more than a year now, and you've proven time and again that you're heart is in the right place. I've seen you in the field, Sooraya. Out of all of Miss Frost's Hellions, you're the one who was the most heart. Their emotional center. And I bet you that the rest of the kids noticed it too…"

"…" Sooraya felt a soft smile crack through her sadness at the thought of Kitty's words. Comfort. At least, for only a second.

"Bitch!" came another girl's voice. Both Sooraya and kitty turned to the source of the sound, their eyes widening in shock as they saw a massive beam of pink, concentrated energy headed their way. _"Oh God." _Without a second's hesitation, Kitty, reached out and grabbed Sooraya's hand. "Miss Pr- -" Sooraya did not finish her exclamation, as the pink flash consumed her vision.

**New York/12:17**

Pink. Aged for thirty years, grapes from Micronesia with a hint of chamomile. A middle-aged woman raised the glass to the level of her eye. "Wine?" she offered, watching intently as both Scott and Emma declined her offer. Even though she was already past forty, Lilah Graham was still a sight to behold. She had shoulder-length, golden hair that never seemed to move, and fantastic sapphire eyes that could pierce through one's soul. "It's really quite good." Lilah persisted. Emma leaned back and declined once more. "Comfortable limousine aside, I do hope you don't plan on wasting our time." She then remarked, crossing one leg over the other.

"Just being a good host, Miss Frost." Lilah defended, lowering her glass. "Oh, and you really don't have to take the time to thought-proof Mr. Summers' mind. I don't barge into people's heads unannounced. If there's something I know, it's that people cherish their privacy above all else." She then commented.

"If you weren't stretching your telepathy, then how did you feel mine?" Emma rebutted.

"Because I'm thought-proofing the entire car." Lilah replied. "That's why you felt me even though you and Mr. Summers were still outside. You never do know when anyone's listening in these days…"

"One of your agents told us that this was about the recent incident in Iraq." Scott then commented, hoping to get the dialogue going.

"Straight to the point, I see." Lilah responded, taking a sip from her glass before setting it down on the bar. "All right then. Miss Frost, Mr. Summers, I'm sure you know that psychics have been in the United States' employ for some time now. One of the…more fortunate remnants after America's underground war with Hitler's Occult Division. We've been doing the jobs that are so secret, even the Men in Black don't know about it. And they know a lot, mind you. Now, all that aside, even though most of our telepaths may be less formidable than the ones trained at your school, we still managed to feel the psychic spike that tore through the South of Baghdad. We assume you felt it too."

"Yes. Odds are, every telepath in the globe felt it." Emma responded.

"Let me guess. Seeing as a mutant did cause this, you're going to ask us X-Men to go out there and neutralize him, or her, before something else goes wrong." Scott declared as he leaned forward. Lilah nodded her head in response.

"Well, I'm sorry to have to say this, but if you just did what you promised and pulled our troops out of that war zone, then you wouldn't be in this mess to begin with!"

"…I'm sorry you feel that way Mr. Summers, but please…do not mistake me for a war mongering Texan. This war has taken a toll on our great country far more than the public would ever know. We want it to stop as much as you do…"

"Funny how I don't believe that." Emma chided.

"We believe it wasn't just a telepath." Lilah then declared, hoping she could get the couple's attention. It worked. "We've…we had a group of women under surveillance. Women who displayed extraordinary abilities. Mutants. According to our mole, one of them grew up with the ability to cause the brain to actually accelerate its motor functions…resulting in what could only be described as a complete, mental overload. This woman may have been the reason why the telepath spiked at such alarming power. Telepathic overload."

"If you had them under surveillance, then why didn't you stop them before they could do any of this?" Scott asked, clearly the question on both his, and Emma's mind.

"You think we haven't tried?"

"…There are other superhero teams." Emma reminded.

"The Fantastic Four is somewhere on Nebula fighting a cosmic squid of some sort, and the Avengers are in Japan. Or most of them are, I'm not entirely sure. Please, X-Men, your country is asking you to do the right thing."

"…we refuse to join a war that we don't believe in." Scott answered, hoping that his words would be enough to finalize their decision. "..." Lilah closed her eyes for a short moment, before opening them again.Scott was wrong.

"…Miss Frost. Before this conversation, you used your telepathy to completely overwhelm the will of another human being."

"What are you…yes, there was a threat, and I responded in kind."

"Of course, of course. Miss Frost, Mr. Summers, did you know that the media is completely under our control? And that we could make your little act of 'heroism' either the most profoundly inspiring thing to grace the newspapers and television screens… or an example of how a person such as yourself…a mutant, could simply go about and force anyone to do your bidding? Imagine how people would react should the latter perspective arise…"

"You're blackmailing us?" Scott asked, an expression of disgust clear on his face.

"If I have to. Mr. Summers, we are at war, whether you like it or not. This is your chance to show the world that you're on the right side."

"Actually, I'm quite a leftist myself." Emma retorted. "And you know what? If you ever use me to blackmail the X-Men again? I will kill you. Quite painfully. Please don't doubt for a second that I won't."

"…" Scott leaned back and stared at his girlfriend, a little surprised to see the usually composed woman lash out that way.

'Think about this…" Lilah pleaded. "You people have powers. Astonishing powers. Half of you are practically un-killable. If you go out there, and not ordinary men and women... men and women with families, then imagine the good you could do. Imagine how good it could be for the mutant populace."

"First it's blackmail, then it's pity…" Scott commented, still very much decisive on his chosen course of action regarding the matter.

"If you'll excuse us, this is our stop." Emma then declared in a resolute voice.

"…before you leave."

"Make it good." Scott commented.

"…my son died. In service to his country. He went to the frontlines, and he never came back. "

"…"

"If you don't help us stop these mutants before the war escalates into a meta-human free for all…then there's no telling how many more mothers will grieve."

**Husaybah, West of Baghdad/14:00**

It was one of those days. The sun shone brightly behind a curtain of clouds, painting the town with an endless tint of yellow. Like a dream. One of the women in red stood atop a square house made from stone and concrete. She was one of four, each a force not to be reckoned with. "Sultana." Another woman called, prompting her to postpone any further rumination.

"Yes, Laikana?" she asked, turning her head an inch back to show her recognition of the woman behind her. Even though they were not differentiated by rank, or class, Laikana still knew full well that she was in the presence of somebody who was far superior to her in talent.

"I have been meaning to ask…" she took a step closer, brandishing a soft voice that could easily fool any listener into believing that she did not just recently kill six marines with her hands.

"What is it?" Sultana inquired, not very fond of people who can't get their point out.

"The things we do. What we have been trained to do…"

"Yes?"

"…Why?" Laikana asked, her voice puzzled like a child.

"Why?" Sultana repeated, not entirely sure of what it was her colleague meant.

"The more we resist; the longer before this war will end."

"…" Sultana furrowed her brows, finally taking the time to turn around and face Laikana.

"We have been taught in the academe as much as we have been in warfare. Twenty years of learning how to talk, think, and breathe like one of them…it is…perhaps we could find a better way to settle this? If the foreigners do succeed in governing us, then perhaps it would be easier for us to get out voices heard…when we are under them I mean. And we cou- -"

"Enough." Sultana interrupted, losing any softness that she previously exercised.

"…" Laikana swallowed her breath, feeling a hint of the older woman's energy seep through her voice.

"It is a little too late for you to begin doubting the righteousness of our cause, is it not? Especially since you just had a little practice session in the hospital, not an hour back?"

"…" Laikana sighed out loud as she lowered her head.

"We are God's soldiers, my sister. There should be no room for doubt in our hearts. We exist to serve. We live, and find joy, in making sure that the people we love are content."

"…"

"Look around you. Look at the world we live in now. Who? Who is content? Nobody. Not them, always and always wanting more power than they could ever handle. And certainly not us for, for being the ones unfortunate enough to be standing in their way."

"But someone will always be in another's way. That is how the world works. It is incurable. Man, by his very nature, seeks self-fulfillment! Man does not adhere to the boundaries set by the men and women of old! How could we bring about happiness in a world such as this?"

"…There are means, Laikana. Men of old did not have the abilities that so many possess today. We do have friends in far away places. Foreign places. Friends who know, and understand perfectly, how it is we feel. They will help us bring down the great Satan."

"…but how?"

"Tell me, Laikana…have you ever heard of a device called Cerebra?"

**Chapter 2 – End **

**Next Chapter…where there are heated arguments, plot holes and plot points, so the drama, possibly quite intense and Logan complains about wearing a stupid costume.**

**Author's note: There you have it, more mystery, more text, and more sarcasm! Yeah, my little creation from "Black", Mark Vasquez, is making a comeback, but don't worry, you don't have to know much about him to read the story. Just know that he's currently the boyfriend of telepathic super hottie, Mindee. Well, that's that! Review! **


	3. Bad Day

**Author's note: Here we are, the third chapter (again, out of ten) of my appallingly politically correct drama. This is the point where you get to choose sides folks, so let the ideological crap begin! **

**Doza: Thanks man. Yeah, I'm pretty sure that this will blow my previous fic out of the water, so stay tuned :D **

**Mad Rose: Thanks for the kind words. And as for tension, then I hope this chapter delivers! **

**Previously on…**

**The Astonishing X-Men are a team of mutants, led by CYCLOPS and EMMA FROST, who fight to protect a world that has long feared and hated them. Their recent rise in popularity though, thanks in part to their recent ream-ups with the celebrity/superhero team Fantastic Four, as well as the trendy new lease on what people call "Mutant Culture", have made their lives all the more bearable. The resurrection of their long dead teammate COLOSSUS, has also improved their morale. **

**On the morning of September eleven, the world was horrified to witness the fall of the Two Towers, the result of two passenger airplanes getting commandeered directly into them. The death toll was flew past the thousands. After recognizing that it was an act of terrorism, the American Government and her close allies, have decided to wage a war on Terror. This was four years ago. The War on Terror still rages on. **

**When an American brigade find themselves under heavy attack from Iraqi guerilla, one of them, CHRISTIAN LEWIS, suddenly begins to feel the thoughts and emotions of every one surrounding him. Unable to take the enormous strain, he sees a glimpse of four women covered in blood red burkas, right before uncontrollably releasing a psychic shockwave that kills everyone in a four hundred mile radius. **

**When Emma Frost and SCOTT SUMMERS are contacted by the CIA regarding the problem, they remain conservative as to whether or not they should investigate the case. All the while, the women in burkas are plotting to change the world, and they plan to use Cerebra to do it…**

**Chapter 3: "Bad Day"**

"_More shocking news of escalated violence, as the bodies of six U.S. Marines were found brutally hacked to death in an abandoned hospital, just a few miles south of the Western Encampment. The military is still very tight-lipped on as to how the six U.S. Marines were killed, and are quick to deny that they perished in the same way as those of the heroic Emerald Company, apparently just hours before. The names of the soldiers will be withheld, until their families are properly notified…"_

Kitty let out a soft sigh as she turned the television off. "Some of the kids are asking about why we don't do anything about the war." She then commented, turning to the rest of her teammates. Everyone was on edge. And everyone had their reasons, as it was the end of a long day. Emma and Scott sat beside each other on the couch, right in front of the television. Henry sat comfortably on a chair, while Peter preferred to lean beside the closed door. "And what did you tell them?" the headmistress asked, tilting her head back and staring at Kitty through icy eyes. The rest of the team turned and waited for her response. "I…" Kitty stopped for a moment, took a deep breath, and closed her eyes.

**Xavier Institute, Campus Grounds/ Two Hours Ago**

"Stop it! Sto- - enough! Get down here this instant!" Kitty ducked for cover as a beam of pink, concussive force flew right over her head, landing an inch away from the young mutant covered from head to toe in a black burka.

"Killers! You're all killers!" Beckah Adamson hovered in the air, her entire body aglow with pink energy. Her soft, brown hair seemed to come to a life of its own as she flew overhead, casting a menacing shadow on Kitty and Sooraya.

"Calm down, Beck!" yelled a male student who stood huddled with a small crowd of students, a safe distance away. "Come on, girl, you're going to get yourself expelled!" another student added, hoping that they could somehow urge the furious mutant to get back down.

"Why don't you stay in your own land? Leave decent people like us alone?" Beckah half-asked, half-yelled, as the energy around her began to crackle with fury.

"But…I didn't do anything…Beckah…I'm not even Iraqi…" Sooraya stammered, as she slowly, cautiously got back to her feet. She may have the power to rend flesh from bone without effort, even just to protect herself, but it didn't mean that she would jump at the first chance she could do so.

"Seriously, Beckah, you are risking some serious consequences!" Kitty threatened, as she stepped in front of Sooraya, holding her arm wide out, as if preventing entry. "You know the school doesn't tolerate any sort of violence! Especially against fellow students! Now get down from there before you seriously- -"

"My daddy's dead!" Beckah screamed, cutting Kitty off mid-sentence. It was her own words that seemed to reach her, as the anger she felt gave way to a sense of shock. Of a horrible acceptance.

"…" Everyone looked on in silence as the airborne mutant's body began to tremble in emotion.

"He…he was supposed to be home by Saturday…it's been three years…" the mutant declared in a cracked voice. "They said the war'd be over…they said…they said…" Beckah bit her lower lip as she began to descend, the pink energy around her dispersing with each second she drew closer to the ground.

"God…" Kitty felt her heart break as she watched the student immediately crumple to her knees. She knew Beckah. She knew her yesterday when she was so proud to get a passing grade from Economics. She knew her the day before when her eyes lit up at the sight of Julian Keller. But the mess of a human before her, it wasn't Beckah. It was a shell of her.

"I'm…I'm so sorry for your loss…" Sooraya whispered, walking past Kitty, with no more fear of the danger that Beckah posed. A second later, Kitty found Sooraya on her knees as well, holding the other young mutant, now in tears, in a comforting embrace. "We have superpowers…" Beckah whispered in between gasping and stuttering. "…we have so much…"

"…" Kitty wanted to look away, but she couldn't.

"…we should be the ones out there…we should…we…they're fighting for us…" Beckah continued, still miles away from any sort of composure. The other students still kept their distance, some of them clearly overwhelmed by the emotional state of their schoolmate.

"…why does there have to be a stupid war…?" Beckah asked, before burying her face on Sooraya's shoulder. Kitty closed her eyes.

"I… felt… daddy… die…"

**Faculty Lounge/Now/20-:41**

"She told 'em to mind their own business." Logan interrupted as he entered the room. "Sorry I'm late."

"Nothing to apologize for, Logan dear. It's expected of you to be late." Emma responded, crossing on leg over the other. "In fact, should you be punctual, I will be forced to kill you at first sight, as it would be a sign of the end of the world's imminence. Now, do sit down."

"Okay, okay, I'm sorry." The Canadian mutant apologized, as he took a seat on the chair opposite where Henry sat. The blue-furred mutant mouthed a painful expression, prompting Logan to smile.

"So. What we know." Scott declared, trying his best to put the conversation on track. "Yesterday, at around six in the morning, Emma and some of the other telepaths felt a sudden spike in psychic energy in Iraq. Apparently, this is the exact same spot where about a thousand people, soldiers and civilians alike, end up dead. It's too much of a coincidence not to ignore."

"And, as we just heard, not twenty-four hours later a small troop of soldiers were K.I.A." Emma added.

"We can't be sure of anything at this point, but the sector where the soldiers were killed was already American occupied, at least for months. So we have a good thousand dead in an instant, and half a dozen more killed in the middle of their own territory." Scott continued. "There's little chance that these two incidents are connected, but the strange circumstances surrounding them merits some sort of investigation."

"So, you're saying we go fly there and ask questions?" Logan inquired.

"That's the problem." Emma responded. "Mutant problem or not, we can't risk sticking our neck in a situation like this. "

"But…why don't we?" Kitty asked, after a moment of silence.

"…" Emma raised her eyebrow at the young mutant.

"We could, you know. Make a difference. I mean, we've…we've argued, time and again, that it's not our superpowers that make us special…that it's the person inside of us, our values, our…we're just people. Granted, we have occasional fights with space invaders or whatever, when we get back down to it, we save the world sure, but…do we change it? For the better?"

"Kid has a point. Or is getting to one, I really can't tell…" Logan muttered.

"My point is…we're superheroes. So why don't we go out there and tackle real problems? Why don't we go out there and stop…I don't know, world hunger, or, or psycho dictators or… white slavery? We can make a difference! I mean a real difference! Why stop at hitting bad guys? I mean, they'll just come back, over and over again! You, Emma, you can change people. If the root of the world's problems are, are ideas, or, or some stupid convictions, then with a telepath like you, we can actually beat it back! We can fix the world!"

"…" Emma closed her eyes and rubbed the bridge of her nose.

"So why don't we?" Kitty asked, raising her hands in the air as a sign of exasperation.

"Because we don't have the right." Scott responded.

"What?" Logan half-asked, half-scoffed, as he put his boots atop the coffee table.

"We aren't gods, people." Emma chided. "We save the world, time and again, yes, but there is a balance. Always a balance. We can't just put on our tights- -"

"See? Tights!" Logan interrupted. "She said tights. Not costumes, tights. I told you we looked like pansies, Slim. Hydra-hair called ma a bumblebee for Pete's sake…"

**Sizzlers/Three Hours Ado**

"Logan." Greeted a raven-haired woman. She had a light brown trench coat over her slim figure, not at all unlike Logan's choice of clothes for their meeting. The woman peered out the diner's windows as se took a seat in front of the Canadian mutant. He was already halfway through his cheeseburger. There was something about the way the sunlight danced off of the parked cars that caught her eye.

"Jess." Logan greeted back, tipping his hat to the woman who had just recently slit his throat with his own claws.

"So, how have you been?" she asked, shaking her head as a waitress came by, possibly to ask her if she wanted anything.

"Drunk."

"How are you currently?"

"…I miss being drunk. You?"

"Level Seven Weapons Training. Then I'll be flying to Japan where the rest of the Avengers are currently holing up. I tell you, Logan, these new cadets really, really suck. They couldn't even concentrate long enough for the Eskrima segment."

"You're in charge of the male corps right?"

"Yep." Jess responded, taking a sip from Logan's coffee without bothering to ask.

"And you wonder why they can't concentrate?"

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Okay, one, you wear a skin-tight spandex costume when you teach. Two, you have the power to release your super pheromones into the air. How the hell can you still wonder why they can't concentrate?"

"All part of their training session. Brass wants to see how good they are even under…certain atmospheric conditions."

"You mean how good they fight when they're as randy as hell?"

"Uh-huh."

"Sucks to be them."

"So, matter at hand?"

"Yeah, sure. What did you get?"

"Well, S.H.I.E.L.D. psi-division did feel the telepathic spike that your team felt at the same time, so the powers that be already know it's a mutant phenomenon we're dealing with."

"And they haven't contacted the X-Men, why exactly?"

"That's the rub. It's just level seven and above who even know that it was a…uh…"

"Mutant attack, yeah."

"Yeah. And even us, we need to be pretty tight-lipped about it."

"…They're hiding something."

"Like always."

"Damn. Thanks for the head's up, Jess."

"No big."

"Oh, and Logan? Yeah, Fury wanted for me to tell you, that he thinks you look like a Sheila in your tights."

"What? Really?"

"Yeah."

"I knew it, that fuc- -"

**Faculty Lounge/ Now/20:49**

"Logan. Back on topic?" Henry reminded.

"As I was saying…" Emma resumed. "…we can't just go out there and change the world as we see fit. We can't."

"And why not?" Kitty asked, not able to let her patience get the best of her. "Why did…why were we given these abilities if not to use them for good? The good! I mean, we have kids who can grow trees in deserts for crying out loud…"

"…" Scott licked his lips and turned to his girlfriend.

"Katherine…if you don't know why, then you're not the woman I expected you to be." Came the headmistress' cryptic response.

"…whatever." Kitty responded, shaking her head in frustration. "Maybe you just come out with 'Legally Blonde' one-liner rip-offs whenever you know that you're wrong, and that you can't admit it."

"Perhaps we should vote." Peter suggested, finally speaking. The team turned and looked at the Russian mutant, with expressions of exhaustion clear on their faces. "I hear, always, this country is great because the people get to vote. Then why not settle this with vote?" he asked, pushing himself off of his leaning position and taking a few steps toward his teammates. "Like Katya says…this war, it is chance for us to make difference. And the spikes have reported that it is mutant who cause recent devastation…does it not mean we, as X-Men, must be there to assess situation? It is mutant problem."

"Right. It's perfect." Logan added. "Think about it boys and girls, we get a meal ticket to Iraq, and while we're there, we can help end the war. Hell, we just need 'Ehms' here to put some shiny, happy thoughts into their leaders' brains and we can put a stop to it then and there! No more war. Hell, we don't even have to leave! We can just strap Emma on Cerebra and- -"

"And what then?" Henry asked. "Do we put a stop to communism? Do we go to Singapore and force them into becoming a democracy?"

**Larry King Show/One Hour Ago **

"There are a lot of…criticisms about the lack of action that super humans put into world affairs. That for all your…astonishing powers, you still opt to tackle internal matters, even though what the world has its eyes on right now, are the tensions between numerous countries, who all seem to have very capable wartime operations. Your thoughts on this…?"

"I am very certain that I do not speak for all mutants…" Henry pushed his glasses up after the second that it slipped down his snout. "…but like the Avengers and the Fantastic Four, we X-Men have taken it upon ourselves to not interfere with sensitive, international issues. And up to this point, countries that are currently in…disagreement with our point of view have done well to keep their meta-humans out of the scenario as well. I'm sure you will agree with me that superhuman involvement would easily undermine any progress that our diplomats have so far achieved."

"That's very interesting how you seem to insinuate that countries refer to their super-powered individuals, as their very own weapons of mass destruction."

"An arms race is an arms race, Larry, no matter what kind of arm it is you are racing with."

"This of course, shows a very frightening scenario. Super-powered individuals seem to be popping out from around the globe, and soon enough, even developing countries wouldn't need any nuclear programs to be considered a threat on a global scale. All they need is a super-powered individual who they could groom into their person of mass destruction."

"Yes, it is undoubtedly true that we've seen a rise in the meta-human population. As the moment, we could only hope that countries, which do get their hands on the more powerful ones, would have enough common sense to not use them for warfare. Should a full-blown meta-human battle erupt, the scale of destruction could be…unfathomable. For all sides."

**Faculty Lounge/Now/20:55**

"But that's different!" Kitty argued. "This is war we're talking about. Not politics."

"War is politics." Emma corrected.

"Why? Because you're so good at it?" Kitty shot back.

"Do you think people will see the difference, anyway?" Scott asked. "People see us in television, we win a war for them, then great. But what about the people who aren't on our side? What about Syria? Lebanon? Afghanistan? North Korea? Iran? What do we do when they start sending super soldiers into our lands? It's bad enough that a third of the world already hates us, but if we go out and do these things, then a whole boatload of other countries are going to distrust us!"

"Is that what you're afraid of, Summers? Kick a kid out of the backyard and he comes back with stooges? Because I'll tell you what we'll do, we fight them off! Old school! Like every other freak dumb enough to enter our crosshairs…" Logan remarked. "I mean, besides! Who says they didn't fire the first shot anyway? Who says that it wasn't one of theirs who started this whole f#cking mess in the first place? For all we know, we could be morally obligated to go out there and even the odds!"

"Why? What justifies us over them?" Henry asked.

"Because we're don't bomb their cities!" Kitty snapped. "Because we don't bomb our own cities! Because we don't steer airplanes into their skyscrapers! Because we're right!"

"Now that's highly debatable…" Henry muttered.

"…" Emma shook her head in disapproval. "People. For a second. A second. Let us act like adults. The only thing we picked up, for certain, was a strong mutant signature. We don't have a body to go along with it. We can't just fly into foreign lands with a half-baked manifesto, and absolutely nothing to back it up."

"Oh? Rachel and her team do it all the time." Kitty commented. "…I think helping people must run in her blood or something." She noted, practically stabbing a dagger right into the headmistress' heart. "Helping and not wanting anything in return, I mean…"

"You're out of line, Katherine." Scott declared through gritted teeth.

"Why?" Peter asked. "You let Miss Frost say what is on her mind. All the time. Why not Katya?"

**Highway/Four Hours Ago **

"Rubbish!" Emma declared as she peered out the window. It almost wasn't worth the new luxurious Mercedes CLS if you'd spent time arguing inside instead of enjoying how well it handled.

"I'm just saying. Telepaths have gotten a really bad rep lately… and your demonstration back there could have really riled up some people…" Scott explained, keeping his eyes on the road.

"Well what would you have me do? Use my bedroom voice instead?" Emma sarcastically asked.

"Oh, hell no. That's not even funny." Scott immediately responded.

"We didn't have a choice, Scott. Like you said, he posed a danger, so I reacted. And I solved the problem in the most efficient way possible. I think I deserve a bloody medal."

"…You could have been less…I think you could have played it out more subtly."

"How? Make him believe he had gonorrhea?"

"I don't know! Something! I mean, you just showed New York that you could mess with a person's free will. That's not something a lot of people appreciate."

"Is that right? What do they appreciate then? Getting blown to bits?"

"You don't have to be sarcastic."

"Well I don't know what I need to do to get into your thick skull, sometimes!"

"I'm not the one hiding behind an English accent here, Emma."

"Excuse me?"

"…Nothing."

"No, that's not a nothing. That's a something."

"You want me to thank you for saving the day? Fine."

"Oh don't even think about changing the subject, Scott."

"…I'm not chang- -"

"You want to say something to me? About me? Then go! I'm listening! I'm right here, listening!"

"Nothing! No- - God, just forget about it, okay?"

"Well, excuse me, but I'm not going to wait until we're in a, a battle for our lives just so you could pour your heart out in an inopportune moment just for some sort of dramatic effect…I mean, I'm not going to make the mistake of letting you, you turn into an emotional pressure cooker! I'm not like Jea- -"

"…"

"Like…oh."

"Listen…"

"So that's how you like it."

"Emma…"

"Shut up. Just…"

"…"

"Stop thinking at me."

"…"

"Stop- -God, Scott… I can never be good enough, can I?"

"…"

**Faculty Lounge/Now/21:00**

"Why not Katya?"

"Because Emma knows enough not to cross any lines." Scott defended, as Emma looked away.

"Really? Isn't that mind control talking?" Kitty asked. "Because I don't know if you're deaf on both ears, Scott, but the things this woman says about your wife, Jean- -"

"Not another word, Katherine!" Scott snapped, forcing Kitty into silence.

"Scott, stop." Emma whispered, at the same time Logan turned and gave Kitty a reprimanding look.

"…Sorry." She remarked, looking away.

"I don't think we could be civil about this." Henry noted, as he took of his glasses and cleaned them with the end of his lab coat. "Unless of course, we rewrite its definition as 'let's all kill each other over differences in opinion'…"

"Me neither." Scott remarked, rubbing the back of his neck. "I'm pretty sure my shades are about to accidentally slip."

"…all feelings aside, the last thing the students need is to see the faculty in another all-out Battle Royale. I can already sense two telepaths and a young feral who're listening in…" Emma noted in an exhausted voice. "…this is going to be the talk of the school by tomorrow."

"Not if I give them a little talk myself, first." Logan snarled.

"If we could Logan, less testosterone, more brain." Henry responded.

"Then let us make it civil." Peter remarked, staring into the eyes of every member one by one, with each one staring back. Katherine was taking deep breaths, clearly still keeping some of her emotions regarding the subject repressed. Emma seemed to be elsewhere. Scott furrowed his brows and nodded at Emma in utter silence. "Let us vote."

**Chapter 3, End**

**Next Chapter – where things don't go as planned, where I didn't forget about Captain America, and the Women in Red reveal themselves to the world. **

**Author's note: That's it for this week, I hope you enjoyed! And if you did, then review! And if you didn't, then still review! Chow! **


	4. Slowly Getting There

**Author's note: Just got back from the beach. I feel so mellow. Steady. Sorry this chap took so long, it was supposed to be up last week but my comp went ahead and committed suicide. I want to surf…**

**Previously on…**

**The Astonishing X-Men are a team of mutants, led by CYCLOPS and EMMA FROST, who fight to protect a world that has long feared and hated them. Their recent rise in popularity though, thanks in part to their recent ream-ups with the celebrity/superhero team Fantastic Four, as well as the trendy new lease on what people call "Mutant Culture", have made their lives all the more bearable. The resurrection of their long dead teammate COLOSSUS, has also improved their morale. **

**On the morning of September eleven, the world was horrified to witness the fall of the Two Towers, the result of two passenger airplanes getting commandeered directly into them. The death toll was flew past the thousands. After recognizing that it was an act of terrorism, the American Government and her close allies, have decided to wage a war on Terror. This was four years ago. The War on Terror still rages on. **

**When an American brigade find themselves under heavy attack from Iraqi guerilla, one of them, CHRISTIAN LEWIS, suddenly begins to feel the thoughts and emotions of every one surrounding him. Unable to take the enormous strain, he sees a glimpse of four women covered in blood red burkas, right before uncontrollably releasing a psychic shockwave that kills everyone in a four hundred mile radius. **

**When Emma Frost and SCOTT SUMMERS are contacted by the CIA regarding the problem, they remain conservative as to whether or not they should investigate the case. They spend the evening to argue about whether or not to go, even though Scott and Emma are the only ones who knew about the offer. All the while, the women in burkas are plotting to change the world, and they plan to use Cerebra to do it…**

**Chapter 4: "Slowly Getting There" **

"I'm going to kill them!" Nicky Fury slammed his fist onto his desk in aggravation. "And I'm going to kill you for telling me! And then, then I'm going to your house, and I'm going to shoot your dog!" he further snapped, pointing menacingly at the middle-aged operative who stood in nervous attention in front of him.

"Careful, Fury, you're eye patch is starting to wobble loose again." Interrupted a cold, female voice, thankfully enough, before the operative could soil himself out of trepidation. "And we know how well that went the last time."

"Co-director Hill…" Fury greeted, rubbing the bridge of his nose as a signal for his distaste of the woman. Fury was too annoyed at her to acknowledge the fact that testicular fortitude aside, she was a very beautiful woman. Though her jet black hair was cut short, it still didn't detract from the feminine features of her face. Not to mention that she preferred to wear leather to the office, which usually leave little room for the imagination. Besides, rumor has it that she had a thing for the Black Widow.

"The X-Men have been causing quite a stir lately." She remarked, as she signaled for the operative to leave them alone. He eagerly complied. "Their recent involvement with the superhero hijinks, especially that one time they tag-teamed with the Fantastic Four to take on the Brood…have given them a rather marked boost in popularity."

"Thank you for telling me that. I never even knew." Fury sarcastically retorted.

"They're capturing the people's imagination. And since it's your department in charge of watching them, I do hope you have a plan to deter them from doing anything stupid. We can't risk another superhero team wanting to step out of the mold and start tackling problems about diplomacy and international relations."

"I can take care of my own problems co-director." Fury immediately responded, sitting back down on his leather chair, his arms crossed in front of his chest.

"You could just call me ma'am, make it easier." Co-Director Hill teased, leaning forward on his table.

"Or I could call you by how everyone else does, but that would risk getting a boot to the testicles…"

"That's so charming. I hope you exercise that degree of chivalry when I get to be full time director."

"Uh…don't you have a militant, splinter cell to worry about? You know, the renegade soldiers who were working under your nose all along? How goes that?"

"…I'll see be seeing you later, Fury."

"You really don't have to co-director. Ever." Fury responded, as he watched the unwelcome woman leave. Even though he hated to admit it, he knew that she had a point. The X-Men were public figures now, and their public statements, supposing they do have the support of a strong following, could prove to be extremely dangerous. "…They're doing it…they're actually going to do it.

**Faculty Lounge/Last Night **

"Let us vote." Peter declared. "The team over the individual. That is how the professor always trained us. Now, let us apply it."

"…Okay, guys…" Kitty stepped up. "Those of you who want to show the world that we can actually make a difference…fix this broken world…raise your hand." And as such, she was the first to do so. Peter was not shy about raising his as well, even though it was clear to the world that he only did so for the benefit of the young X-Woman.

"War…it's been a long time." Logan tilted his head and followed suit. Emma turned to Scott, and looked at him in silence. Scott took a deep breath.

'This is insane!" Henry protested, prompting the three to lower their hands and groan. "Any super human involvement with matters like this could only lead to disaster! We don't need escalation! And Logan, you've been to war! You know what it's like, how could you just sit Kitty and encourage her like this?"

"Because the world can't live without war, Hank." Logan retorted. "And besides, if you happened to forget, meta-humans have been going to war ever since a little guy named Captain America showed up."

"Yeah, I remember, I also remember that he had an underage sidekick who he led to the frontlines and never came back!" Henry shot back. "You want the same thing to happen to Kitty?"

"Oh my God, don't you dare make me an excuse, Hank!" Kitty snapped. "I may have the smallest body count here, but that doesn't mean I don't know how to fight…!"

"Kid's right." Logan defended. "The only thing these guys have are AKs and second-hand RPGs. Do you really think that either of those could hurt a girl who cold phase through solid? And who also happens to have a fire-breathing dragon as a pet? Or a guy who can turn into steel, and break through stone with his bare hands? Hell, this won't be a war, it'll be a goddamned invasion."

"Enough." Scott interrupted, forcing them to turn and face her. "You bicker worse than the students." He then scolded, as he proceeded to stand. "This discussion is over. Emma and I have seniority in this team."

"…" Logan rolled his eyes.

"That means you take orders from us."

"…" Kitty shook her head for the inevitable disappointment.

"And we just made the decision."

**Xavier Institute, Auditorium/Now/13:00 **

"I'm sure everyone's heard the news." Emma started, as she stood behind a podium, overlooking the student body. Behind her, sitting on wooden chairs, were the rest of the senior staff. And behind them was proudly emblazoned the insignia of the X-Man. "But for those of who you who need to hear it from the mother's mouth, then here it is. The X-Men are going to Iraq." The students exchanged glances between each other, some worried, a few overjoyed, and a small number seemingly indifferent. "And seeing that any super human or mutant involvement could escalate the danger of the war, we shall be only going as an investigative unit. We will not be directly participating in any way. Also seeing as how some of our young telepaths can't seem to keep information to themselves…yes, the tragic event two ago days was caused by a mutant telepath."

Emma stopped for a moment to lick her lips, before going on. "He or she underwent some sort of psychic spike that forced a complete mental shutdown in more than a four hundred mile radius. A lot of people died. The mutant who caused this however…is still alive, and is being kept hidden from us, either by a judicious application of telepathy, or some very high-tech machinery. The type that Governments usually carry. Either way, we will find our mysterious mutant. And we will hold him, or her, answerable, should it be proven that the massacre perpetrated was an intentional act."

"…" Kitty surveyed the students with her eyes in silence. It made her a little self-conscious that a lot of the young mutants stared back at her, their eyes quizzical; giving her a hint that it would be a busy day for her as the school guidance counselor.

"Any questions? Suggestions? Violent reactions?" Emma asked, as she scanned the sea of youth before her. "None? Good. We will be leaving first thing tomorrow morning. Miss Pryde will be free until five in the afternoon to hear any concerns you may have." Kitty turned to look at the headmistress, whose attention remained fixed on the students. "While we're gone, we expect the best behavior from each and every one of you. Should any of you wish to begin a riot in our absence just to make a name for yourself, please be reminded that the last student who did so is now a puddle of swirling atoms, currently trapped in the basement. Do have a nice day."

**Cerebra/13:10 **

It was an intimidating chamber, to say the least. A round room, filled with light blue panels, and a small bridge that extended right to its middle. In this room was housed on of the universe's most potent weapons, a device which could access any mind, limited to only the ability of the user. The Stepford Cuckoos, three identical, blonde, beautiful sisters, wielded Cerebra with little difficulty. For the past two days, they've taken it upon themselves to trace the whereabouts of the mysterious mutant who caused the massive telepathic shutdown. They are becoming a little frustrated. With the entire world nothing but bright lights, they encountered more difficulty than they would ever admit as to ascertaining where the mutant was. "This is pointless." Mindee remarked.

"I agree." Phoebe, who stood behind her, responded. "They are leaving in less than twenty-four hours, chances are, and they'll have more luck tracking our mutant down when they're actually there."

"Well, they're still here, Phoebe." Celeste responded, as she continued to scan the face of the Earth, using Cerebra. "And since we have nothing better to do…"

"I miss my boyfriend." Mindee commented, clearly wanting to be somewhere else at the moment.

"You just spent the whole morning with him." Phoebe replied.

"Only in his mind…" Mindee quickly pretested.

"Both of you concentrate!" Celeste suddenly snapped.

"What are- -" in an instant, the eyes of the three sisters lit up with light blue energy. Telepathy, in its most basic form, was the ability to manipulate the mind by attuning oneself to the same frequency that the electronic pulses in the brain emit. Over time, and extreme practice, a telepath could discover a wide spectrum of frequencies that they could learn to manipulate. Including electronic wavelengths. In an instant, every plugged television in the school automatically turned themselves on, each one tuned to the same channel.

**Auditorium/13:14 **

Emma turned to her back, just in time to find the holographic projector turn on, covering the X-Insignia hat was on the wall. The rest of the senior faculty did as well, standing up from their chairs in order to do so. "What on Earth?" Kitty furrowed her brows as the static image gave way to an image of a woman. A woman covered in a burqa that was darker than blood. Her eyes were bright green, showing a silent ferocity that could put a stop to the most courageous of men. Behind her stood three others, each one wearing the same, with the only difference being that their eyes were covered by a net.

"Oh, dear…" a sudden wave of emotion began to bombard Emma, forcing her to concentrate just not to break down in front of the television screen.

"_Murderers.__Rapists. Infidels." _The woman started, her voice in a toner as menacing as humanly possible. "_We have watched idly for too long, as you spread across our land, polluting our rivers, blackening our sky. You violate everything we hold dear in the name of your precious freedom. Enough. We are the Ring of Fatima… the daughters of destiny, and we will no longer stand by as you subordinate our people to your blasphemous ways. The blood of a thousand men is already on our hands. And we will not stop until the land is cleansed of sickness. God has given us the gifts to carry out His will. We are mutants. And we will show you what it means to be your superior. It is time for the tide to turn, pigs. It is time for us to kill you all."_ Then as quick as it came, the image gave way to blind static.

"…" Scott bit his lower lip, and slowly turned to the shocked student body. "Okay… nobody panic."

**War Room/14:00 **

The sound of trumpets played with subtlety in the background, an endless expanse of light blue that helped the X-Men calm their nerves. With the Danger Room currently out of commission, the team needed to find a place where they could easily discuss sensitive matters in private. Emma' mind was one such place. "Crazy jihad? It's nothing new." Logan muttered as he rested comfortably against a white chair that floated beside a couch of the same color.

"Nothing new indeed." Emma responded, sitting, as usual, beside Scott. "Just be reminded that bad things happening because of 'crazy jihads' are nothing new either."

"This is wrong." Kitty whispered, as she sat opposite the headmistress.

"Oh? What makes you say so? Was it the part where they hinted at being responsible for the death of a thousand men, or that they're planning to kill us all, too?" Emma sarcastically retorted.

"I meant it didn't sound right, Miss Frost." Kitty immediately rebutted, keeping her nerves cool. "It sounded…the way she spoke, it was…too…"

"Forced." Peter surmised, finishing Kitty's statement for her.

"They did sound like they came from a bad Uwe Boll movie, but that doesn't mean we can't hold them to their word…" Henry noted. Emma raised her eyebrow. "First of all, Henry, you don't need to make any distinction about Uwe Boll's movies. They're all bad. Secondly, I agree. We can't let a case of them employing a witless scriptwriter impede the gravity of the situation. When they went on the air, I felt their power. I felt what they could do. And it's nothing to be calm about."

"Besides. They called us out. A group of wild mutants are taking responsibility for this disaster. We need to do something to make things right, before the world begins to blame all of us for something three or four people did. If we stop them from doing anything stupid, then we can at least salvage the situation." Scott commented.

"Didn't know you cared so much about humanity, slim." Logan retorted.

"Scott's right." Henry chided. "This could be a major setback for human and mutant prosperity."

"So, when do we leave?" Kitty asked. "Because frankly, the whole sitting here and talking about it is just getting dull."

"On a side note, how exactly do we get there?" Henry inquired. "The X-Jet is under repair after it trying to kill us and all, and it's not like we can just teleport all the way to Iraq. Not to mention we'd be breaking some international laws…"

"We have it covered." Scott responded. Kitty frowned. "Covered?"

"Government's going to fund us on this thing." Scott responded.

"What do you mean fund?" Kitty then asked. "Since when?"

"Someone seems to hold the same interests at heart." Scott replied.

"And here she comes now." Emma noted, as she gazed into some far off distance.

**Xavier Institute, Front Lawn/13:15**

Cady Mitchell narrowed her eyes as she peered though the closed gates. As a field trainee, it was one of her duties to make sure that no one was to pass through the front gates unless they were supposed to. And thanks to her telepathy, though limited compared to most other students, she usually does a good job. But there was something about the jet black limousine slowly heading her way that made her feel uneasy. It was as if the trees warped behind it, trying to move out of its way. Cady brushed a strand of her short, red hair from her face, as she took a cautionary step back, while the vehicle pulled up right in front of the gates.

"Uh…" Cady licked her lips and pressed her palm against a small panel against the one of the pillars that held the gates. It was a device designed to project a small hologram that could open the lines of communication between the gate attendant and the visitors, should they approach in a vehicle.

"_It's quite alright, Ms. Mitchell." _Emma telepathically declared, feeling the trainee's discomfort as she watched her from inside the headmaster's office. Cady lowered her hand and turned to the direction of the school. "_I've already told Mr. Darren to open the gates. Now, be a dear and head to Cerebra. My girls will instruct you what to do next." _

"Yes ma'am." Cady whispered, as she stood by for the gates to open, allowing the limousine to enter. And as she saw her image reflect against the windows while the vehicle passed, she began to feel her stomach churn. There was something dark inside. Something she did not want to be a part of.

**Administration Building/13:15**

"I find something odd." Emma noted as she and Scott began to make their way to the main lobby. "Last night, when we had our…dialogue with the team. I sensed Logan flash back to a memory where he talked to that Jessica Drew woman."

"You mean Spider-Woman? The New Avenger?" Scott stopped for a moment as he opened the door that led to the main stairway. "What about it?"

"I think Agent Drew mentioned that it was only the higher-ups who even know that a telepath caused the spike." Emma declared, as she began to descend the staircase, with Scott immediately behind her. "From what I understand, basic S.H.I.E.L.D. clearance is already on par with most high-level government officials." She further elaborated, midway down the wooden staircase.

"Yeah. And S.H.I.E.L.D. hierarchy goes up about ten levels above presidential clearance."

"Exactly. So, this woman, I ask you, this woman, this Lilah Graham, who does not happen to work for S.H.I.E.L.D, who as far as we know does not even approach presidential clearance…just how important is she to know about all this?"

"Well…well, she is a telepath. You said everyone felt the spike, right?"

"But not everyone knew the exact location where it happened, Scott."

"…well, whatever the case, we can't back down now."

"Bugger all then." Emma took a deep breath as she and Scott reached the ground floor. They could feel the limousine rounding up the rotunda, just in time for them to open the main door.

Lilah stepped out of her limousine with the aid of her chauffeur, flinching slightly as the sun hit her eyes. "Thank you, Simon." She whispered, as her chauffeur, a handsome brown-haired young man dressed entirely in black, closed the door after her. "The school for the gifted…" she then muttered to herself, her eyes lighting with what looked like hunger, right before the door opened to welcome them in. "Ms. Graham." Scott greeted, politely extending his hand to the woman, who immediately shook it in earnest. "Please, call me Lilah." She commented, giving him a smile so bright that it could win her an election. "Miss Frost." She then greeted.

"Let's keep it formal." Emma commented, as she shook Lilah's hand in a perfunctory manner. "One of the students should direct your chauffeur as where to park."

"Please, come in." Scott then offered, taking a step back so that the woman could accede. "The rest of the team is already in the conference room. They're pretty interested with what you have to say."

"Very well. Lead the way, Mr. Summers." Lilah then responded, taking a second to look around the main lobby before following Scott through the den. Emma allowed them to take a few steps ahead, as she turned her head as if to talk to someone in the air. "_Is everyone there yet, girls?" _

**Cerebra/13:16**

"_Cady Mitchell just arrived. We feel she's terribly spooked." _The Three-in-one telepathically responded, right as Cady stepped in to join them in the chamber. "_Something about that Graham woman rubs all of us the wrong way. She is obviously evil. Shouldn't we be morally obligated to just make her brain explode?" _

"_Now, now girls._ _We shouldn't off a rather well-dressed official of the CIA in our own home. It would cause quite the scandal. Besides, I'll be watching her the entire tim, not to mention that our more…private facilities have been locked up for the duration of her visit. Now, be good dears and begin the pulse." _Emma silently replied as she began to make her way to the conference room. "_We wouldn't want anyone listening in…" _

"_Very well then."_ Celeste closed her eyes and put Cerebra on. Mindee and Phoebe stood silently behind her, all three of them wearing their specialized silver gear. The five other psychics stood on light blue hover disks as not to clog the narrow bridge. All of them wore the generic blue and yellow outfit which were given to them the moment they entered senior year. "Alright…let's take a look, shall we?" The Three-in-one asked. "Huh. There are two radars, five recording devise…and an entire telepathic unit quite ready to eavesdrop on the faculty's little talk." Celeste's eyes opened, revealing nothing but white. "_Let's make them regret it." _After a second's concentration the eight telepaths sent out a massive psychic chaff, effectively surrounding the institute in unsurpassable static.

**S.H.I.E.L.D. Helicarrier/13:17**

"What the bloody f#ck?" Nick Fury nearly jumped back in surprise when all the monitors on the gigantic panel in front of him, the ones that focused on the X-men's mansion, suddenly lost their image.

"We lost transmission sir!" one of the agents working the console reported.

"Really? You must have earned a medal for such acute senses!" Fury sarcastically retorted.

"Recording devices are out too!" another agent declared. "They've blinded us!"

"Holy hell…" Fury slapped his forehead in frustration. "What in God's name or those mutants up to?"

**Chapter 4, End**

**Next Chapter – Where the ball gets rolling, new people are introduced, subtle hints are dropped, and there will be a cliffhanger for once. **

**Author's note: There you had it. Sunburn sucks. Hope you review, it's really easy to do. Chow.**


	5. Not Leaving on an XJet

**Author's note: Thing I learned today…you stay with the people, or the things that really matter. My dog was dying, and I was too busy playing videogames too notice. Well, he's in a better place now…so, yeah. This one's for anyone who wants to see this story through. Just enjoy. **

**Previously on…**

**The Astonishing X-Men are a team of mutants, led by CYCLOPS and EMMA FROST, who fight to protect a world that has long feared and hated them. Their recent rise in popularity though, thanks in part to their recent ream-ups with the celebrity/superhero team Fantastic Four, as well as the trendy new lease on what people call "Mutant Culture", have made their lives all the more bearable. The resurrection of their long dead teammate COLOSSUS, has also improved their morale. **

**On the morning of September eleven, the world was horrified to witness the fall of the Two Towers, the result of two passenger airplanes getting commandeered directly into them. The death toll was flew past the thousands. After recognizing that it was an act of terrorism, the American Government and her close allies, have decided to wage a war on Terror. This was four years ago. The War on Terror still rages on. **

**When an American brigade find themselves under heavy attack from Iraqi guerilla, one of them, CHRISTIAN LEWIS, suddenly begins to feel the thoughts and emotions of every one surrounding him. Unable to take the enormous strain, he sees a glimpse of four women covered in blood red burqas, right before uncontrollably releasing a psychic shockwave that kills everyone in a four hundred mile radius. **

**When Emma Frost and SCOTT SUMMERS are contacted by the CIA regarding the problem, they remain conservative as to whether or not they should investigate the case. They spend the evening to argue about whether or not to go, even though Scott and Emma are the only ones who knew about the offer. Soon enough, they accept the offer. All the while, the women in burqas are plotting to change the world, and they plan to use Cerebra to do it. And as soon as Emma announces to the school their plans of going to Iraq, the Ring of Fatima made their presence felt. It sealed the deal. Now, LILAH GRAHAM, a CIA operative, has taken the liberty to brief the X-Men on their mission…**

**Chapter 5: "Not leaving on an X-Jet" **

The ocean seemed to bellow beneath the black helicopter as it noisily sailed above its ice-cold reach. The waves were moving southwest, gathering their strength, surely making some surfers very happy. Kitty looked out the window, at the apparently endless expanse of blue, and felt her heart stir. Just looking at it, at the perennially wandering waves, and pondering the many, many secrets that lie beyond its surface; suffice to say that it was a moving experience. And even though Kitty has traveled on numerous worlds, and survived every crisis that threatened their existence, she would never argue to the fact that there was no place like Earth. Like home. And to see it overrun by people who don't know what they're doing, just made existence that much more frustrating. She did not suffer the Brood for a world lorded over by idiots. Maybe that's why she jumped at the chance to try and change it. And as she watched the ocean churn, she began to remember Lilah's every word.

"_We do not work under the president of the United States. I just wanted to make that clear to you, X-Men. Yes, we are CIA, but there are layers upon layers of factions and organizations within the agency, each one with their own distinct agendas…so much in fact, that you can never know who you can trust anymore. That's why me being here, extending my hand like this to you people…it could literally get my head rolling. But it's a risk I'm willing to take. This war…this horrible excuse for the Government to gain more power…it has to stop. And when I look in this room, I see the means to stop it. A young woman who can walk through walls. An acrobatic genius. A master tactician. Two men made of metal. And a woman who can control minds."_

Kitty turned her head, and focused her gaze on the rest of the X-Men. Peter had his head low, his arms folded in front of his chest, as if in some deep rumination. Henry was looking out the window. He locked his eyes with hers for half a second, before once again turning away. His image inducer was on, prompting him to look like a well-built, brown haired man. Even with the body of an NFL champion, he still looked like a genius. Logan was asleep. Emma was staring at Scott, who gave her a small nod before turning his attention elsewhere. Six people. Charged with ending a war by fighting it. Yes, it really was senseless. Kitty took a deep breath and looked out once more, this time, letting her eyes wander to the soft limbus overhead. Untouched.

"_You are untouchable. Each one of you. That is why we chose you. If you stop their mutant soldiers, you show them that we can beat whatever they throw at us. That whatever they have, we got better. The real America, people. And after, you can go for the people who control their operations. You can march into their fortresses and their strongholds, and they have absolutely no means to stop you. You'll save lives. Right now…right now, the White House doesn't have a clue about this. They want to keep this war for as long as they possibly could, just to give their term some semblance of meaning. That's why; we need this to be a covert operation. We can't risk them trying to stop us." _

Peter took a deep breath as he felt his eyes move involuntarily to the woman who sat in front of him. She was still peering outside, possibly worlds away. She had her brown hair tied back, as usual, never one to let glamour overcome functionality. Not that she wasn't beautiful of course, because she obviously was. It's just that she didn't see herself that way. Not the way Peter saw her. If there was a reason to agree to fighting, then it clearly was her. Not that he was ever vocal about it, though. He really wasn't one for too much words. Nonetheless, in his heart of hearts, there was an innocent clarity, purity, that any woman would easily fall head over heels for. A simple manifesto. Protect the ones you love.

"_We need to protect each other if we want to succeed. I've pulled enough strings, just enough, so that you could get airlifted by helicopter. At least then, we wouldn't have to worry about finding a place to hide that jet of yours. You'll be dropped off just a good hundred miles south of Husaybah, which is west of Baghdad, and is under hostile occupation. The American military will not be aware of your presence. Also, keeping in line with the secrecy of this operation, we really don't think it's appropriate for you to wear your…usual attention garnering outfits. " _

Peter gave his neck a jolt to relieve some tension. Like Scott, he simply opted to wear a plain, fitted white shirt and a pair of military fatigues, being the only difference is that unlike the mutant leader, Peter kept a dark green bandanna tied on his head. Logan had an open vest, without a shirt underneath, and a pair of fatigues that looked to be something he wore from his much earlier years. Emma, as inappropriate as she ever was, still opted to dress herself completely in her trademark color. Fitted white pants that blended seamlessly into her silver tube top. Granted the ability to read minds and turn oneself into organic, impenetrable diamond, could more than make up for the crosshairs that would inevitably make her way. Besides, no one in his right mind would ever pull the trigger at someone as well-endowed as Emma. She even decided to wear a white beret to top it all off. Kitty, on the other hand, opted to wear a gray tank top, and a pair of faded, cargo pants that clung extremely well to her figure. Henry meanwhile, chose to cover his large frame completely with green, military fatigues. They pretty much matched the fatigues that the pilot wore.

"_You'll be flown there by a Mr. Mike Kennedy. You'll be meeting him tomorrow morning when we escort you to the take-off point. You can trust him. Like you, he's a mutant. Unlike you, he's still in the closet. Mutant-wise I mean. But still, he's been through the rough since he was fifteen, and he knows how to defend himself extremely well. If ever you need someone to watch your back, then don't think twice about calling on him for help." _

"We're in." Mike declared, just as the last stretch of the Persian Gulf disappeared beneath them. He looked to be in his forties, with short, blonde hair was neatly gelled back, and a thick frame suited more for professional wrestling than anything else. There was a scar that stretched from his lower lip, all the way down to his chin. One could only imagine exactly what he suffered through to get a scar like that on him. "It'll take about three more hours before we reach home base, so I suggest you all sit tight. We'll be flying low from here on out, just pray that no Al-Qaida are on the prowl…"

"_Your ETA will be at around thirteen hundred hours, by which time, the coastal guards on patrol would be the ones that we have under our employ. They'll be… turning a blind eye to your entrance. After then, it would take about three more hours before you could reach your destination, a hidden installation just south of Al Hindiya in Karbala. That is where you'll meet the man who helped shape all of this. General Major Karl Messer He'll be the one to brief you on the game plan from there on out. Don't worry about him, he may not be the world's staunchest supporter for the mutant race, but he still knows full well that it's the mission that matters above personal prejudice. And as for me…I'll be making sure that Mr. President doesn't get wise to our little plan…" _

**The Oval Office/12:50**

The President scratched the top of his head as he found another pile of paperwork on his desk. Tress covered the sun's bright hail from entering through the windows of his famous oval office, sending only shards of light down the president's shoulders. "I'll never get through all this…" he muttered, lifting a few pages from the file nearest him. "Mr. President?" the strong face of an African American woman came into view, as she peered in before entering the oval office. She is the country's secretary of state. Much like the president, she was one who openly identified what is good and what is evil, even though she may be only looking through her own eyes. But still, that would be a topic for another day.

"Oh, hello there. Come in, come in…" the president offered, very relieved that he found a way to delay the inevitable boredom that was cluttered on his desk.

"Thank you, sir." She responded, as she made her way to a chair beside the president's desk.

"Any news on the thing that happened in Iraq?"

"Not much, sir."

"How about our man in S.H.I.E.L.D? Did she come up with anything?"

"Nothing either. Though our scientists have ruled out that this attack was viral…on account that from what we can tell, everyone died at the same time."

"…?"

"…uh, viruses infect and kill in temporal succession from where the progenitor strain was."

"…?"

"…"

"Okay… so…what else do we have?"

"Some of the other theories are going to be debated over in the three o' clock, but from what I've already heard, it's mostly theories on the EMP's polarity manipulation."

"…?"

"Uh, when you reconfigure an electromagnetic pulse to frequencies that could affect mammals on ultra- sonic levels…"

"…?"

"…"

"Okay."

"Okay."

"Damn…you know what? Batman would know what to do. We should give him a call."

"…sir?"

"Batman. You know, caped crusader, long pointy ears…he's somewhere in that city, what's it called…?"

"Batman is a fict…he's a comic book character, sir. He isn't real."

"He 's not?"

"No sir."

"Really?"

"Sorry, sir."

"Why wasn't I told?"

**Military Installation, Karbala/13:00**

"Okay, can someone explain to me, how the hell this is supposed to be covert?" Kitty asked with a raised eyebrow, as she looked down on the massive, steel factory that they were slowly hovering over. A quarter of its roof was a flat surface, a helipad, while the rest looked like metal parapets and spires, not unlike those found in ocean oil rigs. The entire facility had a soft, red tint, possibly made much more glaring thanks to the heat and sunlight that the its steel foundation absorbed.

"People still think it's a textile factory." Mike responded, as he began to ease the chopper into touching down. "…and the fact that its quite an off way from any of the major roads- - if you could call them major roads- -well, helps a lot."

"You mean people don't just wander in?" Henry asked, silently scrutinizing every detail of the facility even as he spoke.

"Well, actually no. No one does. Convenient ain't it? It's like our very own Chocolate Factory. Only without the weird." Mike retorted, right as they finally got on land. There were two men in suits and sunglasses, familiar men, waiting for them on the helipad. The strong winds generated from the helicopter's rotors did not seem to at all faze them.

"Those agents…" Emma turned to Scott, who kept his eyes solely on the two men. "Nolan and Cooper."

"You know those two?" Logan asked, just before the side doors slid open.

"X-Men, it's an honor to finally work with you." Agent Cooper immediately greeted, before either Scott or Emma could fill the rest of the team in on when they already managed to talk to the two agents. The rotors were already slowing down, making it unnecessary for any of them to raise their voices over the noise.

"I'm Agent Cooper, and this is Agent Nolan." He took a step back to give his partner room to wave at them hello. "We'll be joining you in the Karbala briefing."

"Okay…" Scott got up from his seat and made his way out. "Lead the way." He then said, taking a moment to notice Agent Nolan whispering something into his earpiece.

"_Anything to be worried about?" _Scott telepathically asked, as the rest of the team began to unboard the helicopter.

"_Scrambler's shielding his thoughts , darling. But I don't sense any negative intent on his person." _Emma responded, walking up to Scott and striding by his side. "_So stop being so paranoid." _

"_Doesn't hurt to be sure."_ Scott rebutted, glancing back to make sure that the rest of the team were following. The agents led the team across the sizable helipad, and into the control shed that connected it to the rest of the facility. There were two men working intently working on the consoles, so much so that they didn't even pay attention to the X-Men as they strode by.

"This way, please." Agent Cooper guided, opening a door that led onto a metal catwalk, one that stretched to all four corners of the main facility as a massive cross. Looking down, they could see the five floors that extended below, each one with grated bridges and catwalks, not unlike the one that they were currently standing on. And on the very ground floor, were numerous crates and barrels, stacked atop each other like a child's play things. There were machines covered in large, white blankets, clearly not in use for quite some time, as evidenced by the thick blanket of dust that had already settled on it.

"Not much to look at…" Logan muttered, as he trailed the rest of the group.

"All right, if you'll all follow me…" Agent Cooper continued. "… it's time we meet the man in charge…"

**Main Office, Ground Floor/13:04**

On a small, square room with a wooden table by it's end, there sat an old man with white hair and a rather large frame. He was the type of person whom you'd know was a high ranking military officer the moment you saw him, even if he didn't wear his decorated effects. His eyes were almost as green as the jacket he wore; eyes that looked so alive it practically betrayed his aged features. Here was a man who did not look at the darker side of things. At least not for the time being.

A soft knock on his door made him look up, distracting him from whatever thoughts that swam in his tired head. "Come in." he quickly acknowledged, as he watched the two agents step into the room, the X-Men following silently behind them. "General Major." Agent Cooper greeted, not needing to keep as formal as ought to be. "The X-Men."

"Ah, X-Men. Let me be perfectly clear about this…" the general major started as he stood from his seat. "…I have no love for mutants. In fact, if ever I see a mutant hooker, I'll pay her to get the fuck out of my face. Or I'll shoot her. Then I'll bomb the street she was on so that her filth will not spread. Now, with that out of the way, how may I help you?"

"…First, we need the exact coordinates of the first attack." Emma responded, not showing any signs of intimidation. "If the mutant who did this left a trail, then believe me when I tell you that he won't be getting away from us."

"Anything else?"

"Transportation." Scott chided, keeping a step behind Emma. "We need to get there as fast as we can. We don't need any escort, just give us a map and we'll be on our way. Just make sure that the area gets cleared before we get there. We wouldn't want any innocent people getting caught in a crossfire."

"As long as it gets you out of here…" the general major muttered.

"And don't get in our way." Logan added. "It'll just get messy."

**Unknown/13:12**

Sultana gracefully descended a small case of stone steps, while the rest of her team waited patiently for her by what was once the house's den. "They are here." She declared just as her foot landed on the bottom rung, her green eyes glistening with expectation. "We have waited for this opportunity for so long. This is the very reason of our existence. It is time. God is with us."

**Karbala/13:30 **

A great gust of wind blew across the empty streets, sending some torn pieces of paper dancing in an invisible loop before disappearing into the city's many corners. The glaring sun cast a yellow shadow over everything it could touch, though the fact that it was the spot where so many people died, the X-Men could not help but feel a chill run down their spines. There was a massive mosque near the center of the city, one that cast many shadows across the countless homes underneath as it stood proudly against the sky. It was what Kitty stared at as she took a moment to stop and rest.

"Katya?" Peter looked behind him to check up on the young woman. The rest of the team were still moving forward. "Something is wrong?" he asked, his concern as clear as the sunlight that fell on his face.

"No, nothing, just, uh, little annoyed that the jeep they gave us broke down six miles in."

"…Okay then. We better hurry. They walk so fast, it is like they are in West Wing."

"Hey, is that your first pop culture reference?" Kitty asked with a small laugh, as she began to make her way to the man that she was emotionally attached to. With everything around the world, all the death and depravity, it was a rare moment for an X-Man to smile.

Ahead of the line, Logan sniffed his way o their destination. Coordinates weren't as helpful as they should be when it's based on a grid system. Especially in a city were one block has more than twenty houses. "We getting close?" Scott asked, as Logan turned a corner, and into a dark alley. There were large, colorful blankets that stretched across the rooftops, preventing the sunlight from peering through. It looked to have been a market once. There remained some empty wooden stalls, some of them still displaying some already rotten fruits.

"I can feel it. There's still some psychic residue lingering in the area." Emma noted, taking a look around with her hand held out in front of her. "It's very strong…"

"Scott." Henry took a step closer to the team leader, who too was already busy looking around on his own.

"Hank?" Scott turned to glance at one of his closest friends.

"You gonna let me into the loop?" Henry asked, placing an arm over Scott's shoulders.

"Loop?" Scott trailed his finger over a bullet hole etched like an epitaph on a wall.

"Please, Scott. 'One of the most brilliant minds of the 21st Century'?"

"Oh yeah…"

"People!" Emma interrupted, prompting the two best friends to postpone their discussion. She was already quite a short distance, standing beside Logan who was crouched over something on the ground. They were by the alley's end, standing behind a wall that looked like it served as cover after some firefight.

"Found anything?" Kitty asked, finally catching up wit the rest of the team. Peter followed her from behind, watching over her protectively.

"Blood." Logan responded, as he backed up, while Emma crouched in his place. "This will only take a second." The telepath commented, as she placed her middle and index fingers on the dried, red patch on the ground. "I want to see what the blood will tell…" Emma then closed her eyes as she began to concentrate.

"That's just creepy." Kitty whispered.

"…" Emma began to furrow her brows as the memory lingering in the blood began to show itself. It came to her like the sound of thunder; as she felt the gunshots fly over her head, and the smell of sweat mixed with fear invade her nose. The sound of screaming, of haunted voices, erupted from her every side. "I…" Emma was already trembling from the sudden barrage of sensations that came over her body. "I… see…" a small trickle of blood began to escape her nose, as she saw a vision of the four women in red burqas. The exact same vision that the telepath who caused all of this saw as well. It was that final image which finally jolted the telepath back to reality.

"Emma?" Scott helped the telepath back to her feet. "You okay?"

"His name was Christian Lewis." She whispered shakily.

"…was?" Henry asked.

"He's dead….the mind wipe was so powerful that it caused his brain to implode."

"So we're done here." Muttered Logan.

"…what else did you see?" Scott then asked.

"The women. The same ones that appeared in that television broadcast yesterday. I saw them. I…I felt them, reach into his mind and…" Emma shook hear head, wishing desperately that she could somehow escape the feeling of him dying.

"The women? You mean the ones calling themselves The Ring of Fatima?" Scott further inquired.

"The very ones. Granted, I don't think Mohammed's wife would take kindly that her name is being used by a group of psychotic mass murderers." Emma retorted, still clearly a little out of breath. "hey…wait…" with her eyebrows raised, she began to look around, this time looking a lot more frantic in her observations.

"What is it?" Kitty asked, though not receiving a reply as Emma suddenly dashed out of the alley and into the relatively wide street that it led to. "What is it?" she then asked Scott, who only shrugged in response, clearly just as confused as she was.

"There's…nothing…" Emma brushed back her hair, settling down from her chasing ghosts.

"No what?" Logan asked as he watched Emma return to the shade that the alley gave them.

"I'm not yet sure. But…but…you all know how telepathy isn't just psi-bolts and reading minds, right? That's just short range telepathy. There are some telepaths whose power over the mind…"

"Wait." Logan suddenly interrupted, as he titled his head back, and took a few whiffs of the air.

"Something wrong?" Kitty asked.

"…We're not alone." Logan responded, tensing his muscles, and unsheathing his claws.

"Emma?" Scott turned to his lover, who already had a hand over her temple.

"I'm not feeling anyone, Scott." She reported, after a quick telepathic sweep of the immediate area.

"I'm picking up a scent too. Like… flowers…" Henry noted.

"Alright everyone, defensive formation." Scott declared. "On attention. Peter, metal up. Kitty, don't leave his side. Hank, get on a roof, give me a visual. Emma- -"

"Scott!" Emma suddenly cried as she fell to her knees, clutching her head with both her hands.

"Emma! What's wrong?" Scott half-asked, half-yelled, as he rushed to his lover's side. Emma's eyes were shut tight, her teeth grit, as beads of cold sweat began to pour down her forehead. She was in agony. Her mind reached all centers of the planet at once, between planes and universes, temporal and infinite. It was a strain that no mutant mind could possibly hope to cope with. "Emma!" Scott shouted again, possibly hoping that his voice, if not it's sheer volume, could snap his lover back into reality. He could already feel the psychic energy gathering itself around the telepath. And as the blood began to pour from the X-Men's ears, it was then that it dawned on them. This is how all the people in here died. And now, the X-Men were next in line.

**Chapter 5, End**

**Next Chapter – Where confrontations arise, blood is spilt, Shadowcat gets an epiphany, and the big fight-scene will blow you away…**

**RIP – Magu. I love you, you dumb dog. **


	6. Asunder

**Author's note: Here it is, the big fight scene. Well, the first big fight scene. I've been playing Resident Evil 4 too much, and I think it'll show by the time you get to the end. Enjoy! **

**Previously on…**

**The Astonishing X-Men are a team of mutants, led by CYCLOPS and EMMA FROST, who fight to protect a world that has long feared and hated them. Their recent rise in popularity though, thanks in part to their recent ream-ups with the celebrity/superhero team Fantastic Four, as well as the trendy new lease on what people call "Mutant Culture", have made their lives all the more bearable. The resurrection of their long dead teammate COLOSSUS, has also improved their morale. **

**On the morning of September eleven, the world was horrified to witness the fall of the Two Towers, the result of two passenger airplanes getting commandeered directly into them. The death toll was flew past the thousands. After recognizing that it was an act of terrorism, the American Government and her close allies, have decided to wage a war on Terror. This was four years ago. The War on Terror still rages on. **

**When an American brigade find themselves under heavy attack from Iraqi guerilla, one of them, CHRISTIAN LEWIS, suddenly begins to feel the thoughts and emotions of every one surrounding him. Unable to take the enormous strain, he sees a glimpse of four women covered in blood red burqas, right before uncontrollably releasing a psychic shockwave that kills everyone in a four hundred mile radius. A group of women in red burqas, identifying themselves as the Ring of Fatima, have taken responsibility for the tragedy. And they promise not to stop until everyone else perishes as well. **

**When the CIA contacts the X-Men to investigate, they are first weary of having to participate in such a sensitive issue. But after a night of arguing with the team, and perhaps something deeper, Emma Frost and SCOTT SUMMERS soon accepted the offer, recognizing their duties to homo superior as more important than their personal dislike of war. With the aid of LILAH MORGAN, they manage to reach Iraq without difficulty, and are soon sent to Karbala where the psychic shockwave originated. It didn't take long for Emma to realize that Christian Lewis was already dead. But before they could discuss the matter at hand any further, a sudden psychic attack cripples Emma Frost. The very same thing that happened to Christian Lewis, before his mind was forced to explode… **

**Chapter 6: "Asunder" **

"She's going to pop!" Logan shouted, knowing full well that none of them could run fast enough from a psychic explosion. Especially from a psychic as formidable as Emma. She was already hunched over, supporting herself on trembling hands and knees, her eyes wide open, as if something deep inside her was trying to claw itself out.

"Emma, come back to us!" Scott insisted as he knelt beside his struggling lover. Even with her psionic energy unraveling every realm of possibility, above it all she still felt Scott's fear, greater than her and her entire team's combined. His love. It was like an anchor that desperately kept her on shore, while the rest of the universe sought to tear her apart. His love, his fear of losing another one. "_Not like Jean." _Emma's heart stopped as she heard Scott's voice whimper in her mind's ear. "_Please God…not like Jean…" _It made her glad. And it made her guilty even more. Simply because she knew that she never earned his love. But the Phoenix did.

"Can't we just knock her out?" Kitty asked, not out of concern for Emma, but for the rest of the team. The Colossus especially. She didn't let the others now that she had already resumed an intangible state, one in which she was confident that she was safe from psychic assaults. It would only take her a moment to reach the Colossus and turn him intangible as well. But not yet.

"That won't stop her brain from working!" Henry retorted, wasting no time hurrying to Emma's side. He swallowed a lump on his throat before turning to Scott with a pitying gaze. "The only way is if we…"

"No!" Scott shot out, holding the delirious telepath by the shoulders and pulling her back, so that she could rest on his chest. Blood was already dripping down her nose, while her eyes were so high up; she must have been able to see the inside of her skull. She tried to speak, but nothing came out. Scott shook his head, but affirmed by his belief. "She's tough! She can handle this!"

"I really don't see much handling coming from our side…" Henry muttered.

"Scottie, we need to stop her!" Logan yelled.

"Come one step near her, Logan, and I will end you!" Scott shot back.

"Big picture Summers! Big freaking picture!" the Wolverine argued. Not just for himself, but for the entire team as well. He may have been the non-telepath with the strongest psychic defenses in their group, but he was still fairly certain that Emma was packing enough firepower to clear through his brain like a bulldozer. And he wasn't one on taking chances.

"Scott…" Emma let out a loud gasp in a sudden moment of clarity, as she desperately tried to keep her mind from imploding, and taking her whole team with it. "...I can't fight it…you have to stop me…" she then whispered, as her eyes slowly trailed to Logan's unsheathed claws. "You have to…"

"_You really shouldn't give up so easily, Miss Frost." _Suddenly interrupted three familiar voices. "_It won't make a good impression on the rest of the students." _the three voices further commented, as Emma began to feel the psychic virus inside her brain regress. Slowly, slowly, the pain began to subside, allowing her a second's respite.

"_Don't worry, Mr. Summers." _They then declared. "_Everything's going to be alright." _

"….my girls?" she asked, as she finally got her breath back.

**Cerebra/14:00**

"_Not yours, Miss Frost. But we're still 300 behind you nonetheless. Now if you don't mind, we need to concentrate." _The Stepford Cuckoos all closed their eyes, as they began to grab a hold of their former favorite teacher's dwindling consciousness. As always, Celeste stood at the wheel, the Cerebra helmet on her head, with both Phoebe and Mindee holding hands and standing right behind her. Their eyes all glowed white. "_We found it." _Phoebe then declared.

"_It's like an insect." _Celeste added with a slightly disgusted expression.

"_And it's wriggling inside your brain." _Mindee finished, as all three of them narrowed their eyes and began to concentrate on eviscerating the parasite.

"_We think it's very disgusting." _They all said in unison. "_Is it yesterday there, or tomorrow? Time zones are terribly dull. Wouldn't you agree?" _

**Karbala** **Streets/14:01 **

"_I can't hold it back any longer…" _Emma whispered, both vocally and telepathically. She reached for Scott's hand and held it tight. She was trembling. "I'm not afraid of dying…someone will bring me back…" she then joked half-heartedly.

"Don't talk that way, Emma. You can fight this. You can. You can fight this." Scott insisted through gritted teeth, as he cradled her with both arms. She could feel his heart jump each second. For her. "These freaks picked the wrong lady to mess with, do you hear me?" he then whispered into her head. "They got away with murdering a two-bit telepath, but they're not doing the same to you….you are a White Queen. You do not give up!" For her.

"No…giving…up…" Emma shut her eyes tight, as she began to focus her psychic energies on pushing the virus back. "…no…get out of my head!" With a loud cry, Emma gathered all her strength, and with the aid of the Three-in-One, beat the telepathic parasite back. A flash of light erupted from Emma's eyes and mouth, as she screamed out in defiance.

**Unknown/14:03**

With a shrill scream, one of the women in red burqas jolted back, as the strength of the four telepaths' combined psychic reprisal that not only blasted right into her mind, but decimated the scrambler that she wore as well. It was so strong in fact, that the psychic bolt itself distorted the frequencies, echoing like a sonic boom that blew the woman through a wooden table. "Rashana!" her cohort cried, catching the now unconscious woman before she could fall to the ground. "This is Sultana to all points!" she then yelled into her earpiece. "Rashana is out!" she informed them while she checked on the now-unconscious woman. "Plan B! Engage the X-Men, now!"

**Karbala** **Streets/14:03**

"Emma? You okay?" Scott asked as he leaned closer to his lover's cheek. Emma responded by leaning back and giving Scott a weary thumbs up, which earning herself a sigh of relief from the man who cradled her in his arms. "Atta' girl." He whispered softly into her ear. "Thank you." She whispered back, though with a noticeable hint of sadness that immediately peaked her lover's concern.

"Guys…" Logan called their attention, as he looked upward. "It ain't over yet…"

"Huh?" Henry looked up as well, right before the sound of metal wings flapping violently filled the air. A sound that grew louder, and louder as it drew nearer and nearer. And with their attention fixed on the noise, and the inevitable confrontation with whatever made it, none of them noticed the woman lurking inside one of the empty establishments right beside them. Not until it was too late. All of a sudden, a massive, spiked tentacle crashed from the wall, giving Logan a quarter of a second to turn and realize what came his way. The feral mutant could only curse under his breath, right before the tentacle, which looked like a giant scorpion's tail, impaled him all the way through from the back of his stomach.

"Logan!" Scott shouted, as the tentacle pulled back into the open wall, with Logan still firmly in tow. The second wave came before anyone of the X-Men could react to the initial assault, as the sheets and blankets that covered them overhead were quickly torn asunder, forcing the sunlight to crash down.

Kitty covered her eyes from the sudden glare of the sun, not noticing Peter coming her way. And without warning, two massive hands pushed her down to the floor, right as the sound of metal grinding against metal hit her ears. "Peter!" she yelled, realizing that he had just saved her life by pushing her out of what could only be described from her standpoint as a red blur. A red blur with bright orange sparks flying out of it. Kitty gasped as Peter fell to the ground, with large, smoking scars coming from his metallic arms and chest. Scott however, had a much better view of the creature. It was a woman, also clad in a red burqa, with shoulders that extended into red, vein-laden wings, with large blood-red blades in place of feathers. The very same blades that nearly set Colossus on flame through the friction of its contact with his metal skin.

"Keep down!" Scott yelled at the remainder of his team, Emma still in his arms, as he let out a wide-arc optic blast that slammed against the woman like an eighteen-wheeler. And with a cry of pain, the woman was sent hurtling all the way through the back of the alley, right into a two-story house on the other street. "Got you…" Scott muttered to himself, only to gasp out in shock as Emma quickly shoved him off of her. Then and there, the sand beneath them gave way, revealing what looked to be a cadre of flagellate tendrils that literally pulsated with blood, which quickly dragged the White Queen back down from where it came. "Emma!" Scott yelled in a panic, as he watched the sand that the creature burrowed through quickly closed in on itself. "No!"

At the same time, inside the sizable house, Logan found himself forcefully crashing right into the wall with a hole still gaping in his stomach. The woman, Laikana, stood in the middle of the unlit room, with the tentacle which was once her hand, ferociously recoiling into her outstretched sleeve. "Do not struggle, X-Man." She hissed, lowering her arm as the tentacle disappeared into her sleeve. "I can do so much worse than giving you a makeshift appendectomy."

"Huh…I always hated my stupid appendix anyway…" Logan retorted, coughing out blood in between words, holding what remained of his stomach, which itself was already on the mend. "Now how about… you… get me a beer… and I forget all about this…" he then muttered, trying to act as brave as he could, thought it was terribly clear that he was only stalling for some time to heal.

"Cute." Laikana whispered, as she pulled her left arm back, transforming it into another spiked tentacle, and lashing it into the wounded mutant's direction. It had enough force to cleave Logan's skull wide open, and it would have, if not for it suddenly phasing right through his head.

"Took you so long?" Logan asked with a relieved smile, as he then found Kitty latched onto Laikana from behind, using her power to extend her own intangibility to the people she had physical contact with.

"Lost my contacts." Kitty sarcastically responded, as she attempted to drag Laikana down in an effort to subdue her. The fact that she was intangible made it almost impossible for Laikana to injure her. Kitty knew that. And so did Laikana. What Kitty didn't know, was that like the X-Men, the Ring of Fatima was a team. "Mariella!" Laikana immediately called at the top of her lungs. And then, as if right on cue, a loud, banshee-like cry split the sky, forcing Kitty to release Laikana, and lose control of her tangibility.

Outside, the winged woman's mask was torn open, revealing a jaw that extended so low, it resembled that of a reptile's instead of a human's. It was her who sent out the shrill scream, that successfully managed to catch the X-Men off guard. And with her jaw wide open, she once again took flight. Back inside the empty house, Laikana forcefully shoved her elbow right into Kitty's gut, sending her painfully falling back. All the while, Logan, who had already adjusted to the sonic scream blaring from outside, charged at the woman with outstretched arms and a loud growl. Not fast enough. Narrowing her eyes, the woman raised her hands, changing them into large organic scythes, that managed to catch the Wolverine's claws before they could slice into her face. Her quick reflexes were a surprise, even for the Wolverine, who had left him self open for an easy counterattack. It was something Laikana was quick to capitalize on, as she pushed Logan back, turned, and then performed a leg sweep that took Logan off his feet. The moment he hit the ground with a loud thud, Laikana leapt to the air, and then slammed her scythe-appendage down, ready to cut Logan in half.

"Whoa!" Logan quickly rolled to the side, narrowly avoiding the blade that sent sparks flying as it nearly cut the concrete floor in two. He took a swipe as he got back, though more as a means to deter her from attacking rather than actually hitting her. Laikana took a step back for half a second, only to quickly lunge forward, using what was now shaped like the tip of a halberd for a hand. Logan could only sidestep in time, unable to avoid the tip of her axe-appendage tear the flesh across his chest.

Twelve feet away, Henry had already disposed of his image inducer, as he hastily scaled the side of the structure where Logan and Laikana fought, managing to reach the rooftop in just a short time's notice. "…" From there, he saw the empty landscape through clear eyes, bathed in a yellow hue from the endless stream of sunlight. There in just a slight distance, the Beast managed to catch sight of their shrieking opponent, hovering over the main road, possibly getting into better flight speed for her next sweep. If she could gain enough velocity for another strike, the results would be fatal. Henry couldn't let that happen. With Scott still helping Peter to his feet, and very much worried about the fate of Emma, it was up to the Beast to take down the woman in red. Taking no time to hesitate, Henry immediately got on all fours, and began to sprint across the rooftops at top speed. He could already read her next movement, which was to turn at the intersection at the block's end, so that she could follow the wide road and hit the X-Men from behind once again.

"…!" Gathering his strength, the Beast gained speed, jumping off of the last house for that block and landing right on top of Mariella right as she turned the corner. There was no more room for grace or finesse, as Henry once again resigned himself into his instinctive state, one which had no qualms about using teeth. He kept a paw beneath her chin, pushing up to a close so she could not scream, all the while using his own powerful jaw to squeeze her neck into suffocation. Mariella immediately struggled to get free of the Beast's grasp, but with Henry's hind legs digging into the organic portions of her wings and preventing her from further mobility, she knew that it wouldn't be much of a fight. Without any second's hesitation, Mariella used what remained of the speed that she gathered in order to steer herself directly into a building. Henry still latched on to her, knowing full well, and with no exaggeration, that letting go could mean the difference between life and death. Mariella made a quick turn, letting her back, along with Henry, face the side of the wall. Henry held on tighter, closing his eyes and bracing himself. A second later, the sound of concrete collapsing was heard.

Back at ground level, Laikana was keeping the upper hand against Logan. Kitty was still down, and Scott was scouring the streets looking for any sign of Emma. It was the perfect time for the Colossus to join the fray. Leaping through the collapsed section of the wall where Logan was dragged through earlier, he immediately sprinted up to Laikana. "…!" she turned with a back fist, though it was not as much a fist as an axe, ready to strike Peter before he could do any damage. Unfortunately for her, she telegraphed her move a little too early, as the Colossus ducked beneath the swinging blade. And without stopping for a second, he then speared himself right into the woman's stomach, with enough force to cause a building to topple over. But Laikana was built of tougher things. As Peter held her waist with both arms, ready to tackle her through the wall, Laikana knew that she needed to take action. Fast. And she did. Ignoring the pain that racked her body, Laikana shifted the shape of her arms once more, turning them both into massive tentacles, which she used to entangle Peter around the stomach from behind. "Off me!" she yelled, as she hoisted both tentacles up, taking the Colossus with them.

"…!" The force of her throw was strong enough to send Peter flying right through the roof. He had to admit that he was getting tired of being thrown through buildings. Scott stopped in his tracks as Peter landed a few feet in front of him with a loud crack that sent the dust flying. "Peter?"

"Cyclops!" a woman then called before Scott could check up on his teammate. And since he knew well enough that taking the time to help Peter back to his feet could prove fatal for the both of them, he quickly decided to face the danger head-on, and assist his team member later.

The woman's eyes were practically glazed over, with shades of red streaked across. She stood at a hunch, clearly not a hundred percent, though clearly still more than willing to fight. "What did that bitch whore of yours do to me?" she then screamed at him, as Scott began to feel a great strain weigh in on his head. Rashana stretched her hand in front of her, channeling all her strength into making sure that her psionic grip on the man could not be worn off.

"What are you- -" the strain immediately grew unbearable, literally forcing Scott down on all fours.

"My gift, pig." The woman sneered. "You get your powers from the sun, am I right? Focus them through those beautiful red eyes?" she drew closer, her hand in the air, as Scott began to feel what seemed like more than the infinite power behind his eyes gather. "Well I'm making sure that you can't take it anymore!"

"…get…away…" Scott was already burying his face on his hands, as he felt his eyes store far too much power than they could possibly hold.

"Are you ready to implode, infidel?" Rashana hissed. Scott didn't have a choice. With the might of his optic blasts ready to overwhelm and kill him, he quickly realized that if he didn't take any action now, then the person who'll die won't be just him.

"You want power?" he screamed at her, lifting his face from his hands. "Here! Take it!" he then yelled, taking his visor off, and letting out an Earth-shattering optic blast that he aimed up at the sky. It was an optic flare that was seen across all of Iraq. And even though it wasn't aimed at her, Rashana was literally blown away by the shockwave it released, instantly taking her down for the count. With a slow, painful grunt, Scott crumpled back down, as the force of releasing the massive optic blast felt like he had just vomited all of his internal organs. So much so that it took the remainder of his strength just to put his visor back on.

"Scott?" Peter called with a concerned voice as he wearily got back to his feet. "…your eyes are bleeding."

**Military Installation/ 14:15 **

"So much for secrecy." General Major Messer commented as he watched the remainder of Scott's optic flare disappear into the sky from the square window in his small office; turning the clouds into a deep shade of crimson. "So tell me, do you have a contingency plan Nolan?" he then asked, turning around to face the young agent who stood in front of his desk.

"Don't you worry yourself, General Major." The agent calmly responded, pushing his sunglasses up the bridge of his nose. "The battle should buy us enough time to reach our goal."

"I hope for your sake that you're right, agent." The General Major sternly answered. "We don't want four years of planning going down the drain…we've lost too much. America can't take any more of this…"

"We understand that." Agent Cooper chided. "I wasn't born yesterday like Nolan here. I've been in the project since the very beginning. You know what this means to me."

"I wasn't born yesterday…" Nolan muttered to himself.

"Alright, technically, you were born a week ago."

"Back to business, people!" angrily reminded the General Major. "If the X-Men lose, then it won't make any difference. The plan will go on. But if they win, if they win in time, then our timetables get pushed forward."

"The men have already been transported sir. They're already in the United States, mobilizing…" explained Cooper.

"And Lilah?"

"She's with them now."

**Empty House, Karbala/14:16**

Logan made another dive for Laikana, who strafed to her left in order to avoid getting skewered. It gave the woman enough room to angle herself behind Logan. In a fraction of a second, she managed to grab Logan from behind the neck with her left tentacle arm. "It is time for this battle to end…" she then declared, as she immediately lifted the Wolverine off of his feet. He would've come back with a snappy retort, but her vice-like grip was already preventing the blood from entering his brain. Laikana narrowed her green eyes as se began to change her right arm into the shape of a trident, ready to finis the job. Logan struggled against her grip, kicking his feet and digging his claws into the tentacle that held onto his neck; all to no avail. "There should be better ways to solve this problem, without bloodshed…but your people will never listen ." Laikana whispered softly, hesitating for a moment to deliver a final blow. "…I never wanted to be a part of this. I am very sorry." With her attention to the back of her captive's head, she did not see the Shadowcat back on her feet, a short distance in front of the Wolverine.

"…" Kitty swallowed the air as she made a sprint toward her teammate, and lunged.

"…?" Laikana's eyes widened in shock as she saw Kitty spear through Logan in an intangible form. There was a hatred in the young woman's eyes that made even Laikana's heart stop beating. And as she could do nothing but watch the X-woman disappear into her own body, so ended the threat that she bore to the rest of the world. The pain only lasted a second. Logan gasped for air as he fell to the ground, free of Laikana's grip. He then felt the heavy thud of two bodies hitting the floor, one after the other.

"Kitty…?" with the pain of everything that his body just went through still pervading his very being, it took nearly all of his remaining strength just to turn his head to the direction of the sound. Then and there, he wished he hadn't. By his feet was left the burqa that the woman wore. Blood was everywhere. "No…"

Kitty knelt on weak knees, staring at the blood on her hands, and Laikana's flayed body by her feet. She had just literally phased Laikana out of her skin, killing her almost instantly. Her tentacles were too long to get fully phased out, so the end of each one was still connected to the husk that was laid on the floor. Looking at it from above, it was like seeing your skinless reflection. The Wolverine shook his head, and attempted to pry his exhausted self off of the floor. "Logan…" she whispered with a shaky voice. "I was so mad…she was about to…she was about to…I feel…wrong inside…" Kitty then swallowed her breath, as her eyes fell on the naked husk of Laikana. Her eyes were still very much wide open, and Kitty could swear that those eyes were staring straight back at her. Kitty had killed before, yes, and it was a sensation that she thought she'd never grow accustomed to. And it was the not the act of killing itself, but the fact that she felt no remorse whatsoever, that bit at her soul.

"…stay steady kid, stay steady." Logan muttered, still gathering his strength. "You asked for a war and here it is. All it's glory."

Back in the main road, Scott and Peter finally got to turn the corner where Henry and Mariella landed earlier. "…" What remained of the woman was a bloodied mess. Her wings were torn off, and her legs contorted into broken angles. A small puddle of blood stained the back of her head. "…" Scott stepped up. "Hank…is she…?"

"She's not dead." Henry growled in a low voice, still obviously not a hundred percent back to his normal self. There was a large wound near his ear, and a large cut that extended from the back of his shoulder down to his side. "Where's Emma?" he then asked, hoping to change the topic. He really didn't want to admit that he's been resorting to transforming into his feral form much more often. And without much qualm.

"I…our psychic rapport is still up. She's still alive but…the thing that dragged her down hasn't showed itself again yet…"

"Team!" Logan interrupted, as he and Kitty tepidly shambled into the street. The latter of whom still clearly in a state of shock. "We win? Our big bad's down for the…hey, aren't there supposed to be six of us?" Logan then asked, looking around in an attempt to find the White Queen. It was then that the ground began to rumble violently, seemingly in response to Logan's inquiry.

"What the hell?" Logan pushed his back against a wall to avoid falling, while the still lethargic Kitty apparently didn't choose to fight getting thrown down to all fours.

"Stay alert, people!" Scott ordered, propping himself on one knee to support his weight. And as the X-Men felt their hearts beating faster in expectation of their inevitable confrontation with the remaining member of the Ring, the shaking suddenly stops. None of them noticed the small tendrils that crept out from Mariella's back, connecting themselves to her severed wings. "…!" Henry then turns, only to find the woman back to consciousness, her mouth gaping wide open.

"Hank!" Scott yelled, as the woman unleashed a full sonic shockwave on the Beast at point blank. The combined frequencies made it inaudible, but gave it enough strength to be turn into a concussive bomb. It was enough to shoot Henry flying back, out of consciousness. The Colossus quickly maneuvered himself to Scott's left, catching Henry before a fall could do him more damage, even though his metal skin wasn't exactly the most comfortable to fall back against.

"Get him to safety." Scott instructed to Peter, just as he fired a narrow optic blast at the woman. Mariella quickly launched herself off the ground to get out of harm's way, expanding her metal wings as she reached the now orange sky.

"Petey, I need a special!" Logan yelled, a plea that fell on deaf ears since the Colossus was still busy finding a safe place to lay Henry down. Scott fired another volley of quick optic blasts at Mariella, who easily weaved past them as she circled the X-Men from the air. "…!" she then returned the favor as she fired shards of organic steel from her wings, seemingly without aim, as they all plunged to the soil a good feet away from any of the X-Men.

"Petey!" Logan called again, and this time, he found the metal man rushing to his side. The Russian mutant did not pay attention to stepping over the shard from Mariella's wing that stuck to the ground. He did not notice it quickly pulse and ,bloat right before exploding into a cocktail of liquid fire. It managed to catch Colossus off guard, enveloping him in a blaze that his steel skin thankfully took the brunt of. The same went for the other shards, prompting the X-Men to fall for cover, as the liquid flames spread from the ground to the surrounding houses. It gave Mariella enough time to escape.

"…Damn." Logan muttered, catching a glimpse of the woman disappear into the horizon. Kitty was already helping Peter to his feet. Scott took a deep breath. He was about to ask if everyone was okay, but the another tremor cut him off. This time, much stronger than before. The houses that surrounded them, already weakened by their battle, began to collapse, fanning the flames that now surrounded them.

"Move!' Logan yelled, as his enhanced senses finally managed to pinpoint the stem of the earthquake. Right in the middle of where the X-Men stood, the ground suddenly erupted in a frenzy of soil and dust, forcing them to scatter.

"Good God…" Kitty's eyes widened as she, and the rest of the team, got to focus on the figure that stood before them. For its base, which itself already stood at more than eight feet, were four spider legs, each one looking like a network of veins and capillaries. At its middle was connected a long, wide spine, further elevating another seven feet into the air. There was a bulge the shape of a woman in a fetal position at its center, and it was immediately clear to the X-Men who was trapped inside. And at the very top of the pregnant spine was connected the upper torso of the woman in red. Her burqa as now torn, covering only her face and her upper torso. Both her hands were gone, in their place hissed large tentacles with maws on end, dripping with yellow saliva. She was Sultana, the head of the Ring of Fatima. And she hungered.

"So…" Logan tilted his head back for a better view of the enemy. "…who else had too much to drink?"

"X-Men…" the woman sneered, as the mouths that were here arms viciously snapped. "It is time to wake you from your shackled dreams…"

"Waking up sounds nice…" Kitty muttered, while Peter took a step in front of her. The strong flames, and the thick clouds of smoke that they generated, only proved to bathe Sultana in a much more menacing light. With the X-Men still broken and battered, they knew full well that this was not going to be a pretty fight. But they stood their ground nonetheless. Scott stood defiantly in the monstrosity's shadow, not even a inch of intimidation clear on his stone face. Emma was inside that thing. And by all that is good, he was going to get her out.

**Chapter 6, End **

**Next Chapter – Where lives are forever changed, revelations are made, the students react, and more things explode! **

**Author's Note: I hope you enjoyed that one. Drop a line and send me your thoughts…or else! Anyway, we've passed the point of no return, stay tuned for more silly, drawn out, unnecessary battles! Trust me, this one is tame compared to what the team goes through next. Chow! **


	7. The Homefront

**Author's note: The madness continues! Well, the stories approaching endgame, with three more chapters after this. So enjoy! **

**Previously on…**

**The Astonishing X-Men are a team of mutants, led by CYCLOPS and EMMA FROST, who fight to protect a world that has long feared and hated them. Their recent rise in popularity though, thanks in part to their recent ream-ups with the celebrity/superhero team Fantastic Four, as well as the trendy new lease on what people call "Mutant Culture", have made their lives all the more bearable. The resurrection of their long dead teammate COLOSSUS, has also improved their morale. **

**On the morning of September eleven, the world was horrified to witness the fall of the Two Towers, the result of two passenger airplanes getting commandeered directly into them. The death toll was flew past the thousands. After recognizing that it was an act of terrorism, the American Government and her close allies, have decided to wage a war on Terror. This was four years ago. The War on Terror still rages on. **

**When an American brigade find themselves under heavy attack from Iraqi guerilla, one of them, CHRISTIAN LEWIS, suddenly begins to feel the thoughts and emotions of every one surrounding him. Unable to take the enormous strain, he sees a glimpse of four women covered in blood red burqas, right before uncontrollably releasing a psychic shockwave that kills everyone in a four hundred mile radius. A group of women in red burqas, identifying themselves as the Ring of Fatima, have taken responsibility for the tragedy. And they promise not to stop until everyone else perishes as well. **

**When the CIA contacts the X-Men to investigate, they are first weary of having to participate in such a sensitive issue. But after a night of arguing with the team, and perhaps something deeper, Emma Frost and SCOTT SUMMERS soon accepted the offer, recognizing their duties to homo superior as more important than their personal dislike of war. With the aid of LILAH MORGAN, they manage to reach Iraq without difficulty, and are soon sent to Karbala where the psychic shockwave originated. It didn't take long for Emma to realize that Christian Lewis was already dead. But before they could discuss the matter at hand any further, a sudden psychic attack cripples Emma Frost. With the help of the THREE-IN-ONE, three telepathic sisters, the psychic attack on Emma was pushed back. Their celebration however, was short lived, as the RING OF FATIMA finally emerged for a face-off with the X-Men. After defeating three of them, the X-Men are now faced with a colossal monstrosity, who happens to be their leader… **

**Chapter 7: "The Home Front"**

"The X-Men are risking their lives in Iraq as we speak…and this is what they're fighting for…?" Cady asked with a grimace as she leaned her chin on her clenched fist. Beckah, who sat beside the red-haired girl, could only nodded in response, while they both watched Mark standing on top of the cafeteria table. He was surrounded by his friends, showing off by shooting up an entire keg of apple cider. Everyone in the room cheered him on, as he raised his arms in victory over the sweet beverage.

"Imagine if they actually served alcohol in here." Mused Cady before taking a sip from her boxed milk.

"It's weird not seeing his best friend by his side." Beckah then whispered, before taking a bite out of her tuna sandwich. "I mean, they were like, inseparable."

"Yeah…it makes me feel bad about his new roommate. I mean, Derrick's going to be hard to replace."

"Isn't that him? His new roommate?" Beckah asked, pointing at a young man sitting alone by the corner. "Chris something, right?" Cady tilted her head. "Poor guy. Last time I saw a kid that left out was when Beak first enrolled."

"…Maybe we should go and sit with him." Beckah suggested.

"Oh no, no, no, just because you lost half your friends over that thing with Sooraya, doesn't mean you have to lower yourself to charity cases." Cady retorted.

"God, don't you even know the meaning of tact?"

"Sorry!"

"…"

"Have you at least tried talking to her?"

"…That would actually require some guts on my part. I swear Cady, if it's facing her or fighting psycho mutants in Iraq, then somebody get me an X-Jet, pronto…because I bet anything the X-Men are facing are a lot better than what I'm going through…"

**Karbala, Iraq/14:40 **

"Crud!" Logan yelled, diving out of a gigantic maw's way before it could swallow him whole.

"How do we kill it?" Kitty asked, strafing around the monstrous mutant's spider legs in hopes of pinpointing an Achilles heel.

"I will try punching it. If not work, then promise to find me good mortician." The Colossus dryly retorted as he charged toward one of the abomination's legs in an attempt to strike it down. He did not anticipate the quickness of the creature, as it suddenly turned and caught Peter with it's right jaw-arm.

"Peter, no!" Kitty stopped to a halt as she watched in horror, while the monstrosity's massive maws clench themselves around the Russian mutant's waist. It's yellow, corrosive saliva began to cause the Colossus' steel skin to hiss in smoke.

"Let him go!" Scott yelled, immediately firing a concentrated optic beam across the creature's arm, trying to force it to let go of his team member. At top strength, Cyclops had the power to puncture steel, and at full power, he could even vaporize adamantium. But he was far from either, thanks to Rashana's psychic attack, which was the cause of the blood that had streamed from both his eyes. At that moment, focusing too much energy could make his eyeballs explode. And he figured that he would be much more useless blind in their current situation.

"Hit her harder!" Kitty yelled. She herself not yet strong enough to use her power to phase something so gigantic. The smoke from the walls of flame that now surrounded them made even breathing harder, much more so concentrating to use their mutant powers.

"I can't!" Scott shot back, feeling the solar energy once again overwhelm his eyes. And the very moment he receded firing at the creature, the maw that gripped the Colossus began to vibrate wildly. "Oh my God, what's it doing?" Kitty yelled in a panic. The corrosive liquid that it generated began to bubble violently, burning through Peter's metal skin, and forcing him to scream in agony. Logan made a valiant leap at her from behind, only to get himself back fisted across the street by her free arm.

"Let him go!" Kitty screamed again, also foolishly rushing headfirst into danger.

"Kitty! Look out!" Scott warned, as Sultana aimed the jaw-arm that held Peter at the Shadowcat's direction. In an instant, the acid that had pressurized erupted in a lethal geyser, propelling the fatally wounded Colossus at the team's youngest member.

"…!" Fortunately enough, Kitty still had enough in her to turn intangible, just a fraction of a second before the acid that carried Peter could burn her face. With her heart still pounding like a drum, she reached up, and extended her intangibility to Peter the moment that her phased form came in contact with him. It was enough to save him from further injury.

"Hey!" Scott opened fire at Sultana once again, this time achieving a focused beam that managed to crack itself across the monstrosity's temple. The force of the blow caught her attention, and gave Kitty enough time to phase Peter below ground, and out of harm's way. "Over here, you freak of nature!" Scott then fearlessly yelled, firing another shot, this time hitting Sultana right in between the eyes, causing her to stagger a few steps back. "You will spit out my girlfriend, right now!"

"Way to tell 'er, Scottie…" Logan muttered as he crawled back to his feet, oblivious of the fact that his boot was caught on fire.

"…!" Scott fired another quick round, right before he telegraphed, and crouched to avoid, the swing of her enormous right arm. She then swung her left arm over her head, and crashed it down like a massive jackhammer, which Scott needed to quickly roll out of in order to dodge.

Meanwhile, inside one of the stone houses, Kitty swam herself out of the solid floor, towing Peter along. "It's okay, it's okay…" she whispered repeatedly, as she finally returned to her tangible form. Peter was still motionless, his flat back on the ground, thanks to the shock that his system experienced. "…oh my God…" Kitty pressed her bloodstained hand against her mouth, as she finally got a clear view of the damage that was done to the man she so dearly held. His metal skin had practically melted into red hued layers, nearly destroying any inch of symmetry his body had. It was clear that only his enhanced physiology kept him alive. And barely at that.

"Katya…" Peter muttered in a low, guttural voice. His eyes were still closed.

"Shh, don't talk, don't…"

"I think…I won't make it…"

"No! No, no, no don't say that! I will not lose you again!"

"You have been a blessing, Katya…"

**Helicarrier/14:50**

"You think they're fighting? In Iraq? The X-Men?" Co-director Hill leaned back on her leather chair, and rested her leather-clad feet on the silver table, of which she sat as the head. Nick Fury stood by the door, his arms crossed in front of his chest, staring intently at the woman who, at the moment, shared his position. The Black Widow, a red-haired agent in a leather-suit, was beside him.

"Tell me why the hell I should give a f#ck." She coldly remarked.

"I don't know. It could be because we're supposed to be in the business of saving goddamned lives. That was at least before bureaucratic f#ckheads like you crawled up through the ranks."

"Flattery will get you nowhere, Fury."

"Thank God. Any closer to your skank self and I'm going to start puking blood."

"Listen here, co-director. Just because you cry at sleep over your Break World shenanigans, which almost cost the X-Men their lives, doesn't mean that I do too. And just because you stretch all your resources helping those 'New' Avengers every time The Void shows up, doesn't mean I'm willing to hand you over mine. I don't owe anything to your precious superhero friends. And I sure as hell don't owe you. Now, I have a meeting in ten, and unless the next time you go through that door begging for me to be full-time director, then I suggest you stay on your side of the Helicarrier. Do I make myself cleat? Or do I need to draw you some pretty pictures?"

"…Yeah. All Clear. Bitch." Fury responded with a growl, before turning to the door.

"…" The Black Widow took a step to the side in order to give Fury room to depart. She then gave the female co-director a quick glance before following the old man out. The sliding doors closed behind them.

"…are they gone?" asked a woman, who promptly stepped out of the shadows.

"Feel free to jump in any second now, Ms. Graham." Hill commented, while pressing a button on a hidden panel by her chair in order to lock the doors.

"You're right about Fury." Lilah remarked. "He'll be trouble."

"He doesn't understand the glory of our purpose."

"It doesn't matter. He soon will. Just make sure that you wrap him in so much red tape, he won't be able to lift a finger to stop us."

"You just do your job, Ms. Graham. And I'll do mine."

**Karbala** **Streets/14:53**

Sultana let out a shrill scream as it bent down, and leapt straight up. Both Scott and Logan, the only two remaining X-Men on the field, gazed up as the shadow of the creature fell on them. It gave them a second's glimpse of the creature's underside. "…Eeew…" Logan sneered, seemingly oblivious of the danger he was currently in. "Move!" Scott quickly yelled, as he and the Canadian mutant darted towards opposite directions, just in time to avoid the abomination from crushing them with it's gigantic legs. Logan quickly found himself on all fours, facing Sultana with his claws drawn. Scott also managed to support himself, his hand at the tip of his visor, as he aimed his sights on the creature that loomed defiantly in between Logan and himself. But before either of them could launch a proper reprisal, Sultana made another leap. This time she landed on top of a four story house that was already enveloped in liquid flames, making it close to impossible for Logan to go in after her without seriously injuring himself as well.

"…Let's…play…more…" she declared, aiming one arm at Logan, and the other at Scott. Like with Peter earlier on, the monstrous jaws at each arms' end was already building up with acidic pressure. Ready to explode at any moment's notice.

"What are the chances that butterflies are going to pop out of those snappers?" Logan asked, ready to evade the corrosive hose that would burst out any second now. Scott bit his lower lip, and raised his hand to his visor, only to lower it again as a sly smile spread across his face. "Much less than the chances of Hank sneaking up on that thing."

And before Sultana could open fire, the blur of a creature moving at top speed slammed at it from behind. The Beast carried with him enough force to knock Sultana off the building's edge, with him still firmly latched onto it's torso, which was the only part that remained physically human. It's arms flailed wildly in the air, spitting out toxic geysers into every which direction, prompting the two men on the ground to scramble to safety. A second later, Sultana fell face-first to the ground, letting out a loud crack as she did. The Beast reared his head back for a moment, right before letting out a loud growl, and then sinking his teeth behind Sultana's neck. Logan was quick to jump into the fray, hopping onto one of the creature's legs just as it began to get back up. It gave him enough room to face the sac that carried Emma.

"Gonna get you out of there darlin'." He muttered under his breath, as he swung his claws at the sac, peeling off a few of it's layers with each motion. It was much thicker than it looked.

With a terrible shriek, Sultana quickly grabbed Logan around the waist with her left jaw-arm, while the right reached behind her and did the same to Henry. "Let them go!" Scott yelled, firing an optic blast at her head, which she leaned sideways to avoid. At the same time, she lashed her front legs upward, catching Scott off guard and sending him flying back.

"Now…where were we…?" Sultana asked, raising both men in her grasp to the air and squeezing them tight. "Ah yes…you were going to join your whore in my stomach…"

**Cerebra/15:57**

"The image is still blurry. But it isn't good." Celeste remarked, as she strained to overcome the sudden psychic interference that caused their vision of the battlefield to static.

"That thing's scrambler is impossible to decipher." Phoebe added.

"Is it even a scrambler? I'm not picking up any electronics on that thing…" Celeste noted.

"Then we stick to what we can do." Mindee reminded.

"Telepathic anesthesia underway." Phoebe declared.

"I'm augmenting their strength, but it'll only delay the inevitable." Celeste commented. "It will save them from their systems going into shock, but it'll leave them extremely exhausted."

"As opposed to being extremely dead?" Phoebe asked.

"This is very, very bad." Mindee concluded, before tilting her head up and putting her attention elsewhere. "Mark?" she called, feeling the young man's thoughts swirl in her head. Her two sisters rolled their eyes.

**Gym Locker Room/15:58**

"Hey." Mark greeted as he toweled himself off. "You missed the game." He remarked with pouted lips, pulling his jersey off and dumping it in his funnel bag. One of his teammates gave him a quick high-five for a game well-played. "You should have seen his hook shot!" his teammate then shouted into Mark's ear, earning him a quick jab to the shoulder.

"_Sorry. But we're a little caught up." _

"Why, something happen?" Mark asked, still chuckling softly from his teammate's antics. Though he knew that he didn't need to talk out loud when Mindee was in his head, he realized that it was the only way for people not to bother him whenever he's in a public place. "He, wait a minute, are you three still in Cerebra? How long have you three been in there?"

"_Mark, now isn't the time for this…" _

"Mindee, seriously, I'm really worried about you three. The powers you've been showing are- -"

"_The X-Men are being slaughtered." _Mindee responded, in no mood for any serious discussion about her boyfriend's claim that the Three-in-One's powers are growing tenfold. That there was another voice only she could hear a voice both beautiful and frightening. A voice that was so very tempting.

"What?" Mark yelled out loud, prompting everyone else in the locker room to stop and turn.

"Are they breaking up or something?" one of the guys asked, prompting Mark to throw a towel at him.

"_They've started fighting about an hour ago, and now, they can't seem to beat the thing they're up against." _Mindee explained. Her two sisters gave her a disapproving stare, as the time she spent with Mark telepathically put a strain on their psychic link. They were called the Three-in-one for a purpose after all.

"…Why? Is it Magneto?"

"_No. But it's big. Really big. And it's skin is…hard. Mr. Logan and doctor McCoy are…diverting it's attention." _

"…Christ…"

"_It won't be long before it takes the X-Men down." _

"Big…skin hard…hey, I think I have an idea…you know I always wondered what would happen if…"

"_Mark! That's an excellent idea." _

**Karbala** **Streets/16:05**

"_Scott!" _Emma telepathically called, forcing the mutant leader to snap out of his exhaustion. "Huh?" still groggy from the blow that sent him crashing against a wall, Scott slowly picked himself up.

"Emma?" he swallowed a lump in his throat, as he felt his stomach turn at the thought of what his lover was going through inside the creature's belly. Though whatever it was must seem more comfortable than where Logan and Henry were. "Logan! Hank!" Scott called, realizing that Sultana opted to squeeze the life out of them, instead of burning them alive.

"_Scott! Concentrate!" _Emma ordered, forcing her lover to calm himself. "_I need you to focus…" _Scott nodded. He could feel the pressure behind him weigh, signaling the presence of others.

"Got it." He then uttered, as he fired a single, concentrated beam of pure energy right at the topmost portion of the sac, just a little over the bugle which resembled Emma's head. With the pressure at the point of impact pushing Emma down, it was provided enough force so that the portion by her legs, the area that Logan cut up in a frenzy earlier, ripped itself wide open.

"Now!" Emma shrilly yelled as she dropped to the ground along with the green and yellow bodily fluids that held her in place. Scott turned around, sixteen feet into the air, to the roof of the house that he had just slammed into, where he found the Colossus looming at the edge of the roof. He held a broken-off pillar in both hands, wielding it like one would a partisan or a battle-stave, and immediately jumped off.

"…!" Sultana readied itself for impact, as she watched the Russian raise the pillar over his head, ready to slam it down in a blow that it was so sure it would survive. But instead of the pillar smashing atop Sultana, it suddenly phased right into her, sliding down the length of her body. And before she could realize what would happen next, it would already be too late. The Colossus let go of the pillar right as it reached the point where it's spin was connected to it's arachnid-like base. Where it materialized.

"..." Sultana's eyes rolled to the back of its head as the atoms of its body and that of the pillar fused, and consequently rejected each other, literally cutting the both of them in two.

"Huh?" Logan rubbed the back of his head, wondering what the hell just happened.

"That's just gross." Kitty whispered, as she literally stepped out of Colossus' body. It was the first time in a long time that she had to be creative with the use of her powers, and she wasn't too proud that both cases resulted in another living being's termination. Sultana's legs were crumpled on the ground, while her severed spine and torso had fallen to the side. Scott was already helping Hank up, while the still shaky Emma gave Logan a hand in help.

"You thought of that?" the Canadian asked, still a little out of breath, thanks to all the punishment his abdomen went through that afternoon.

"No. My girls did." Emma immediately replied. "Apparently, one of the male students wondered what would happen if Kitty used her powers to phase into another person. The moment we get back to the mansion, I'm giving this student a bloody gold star."

"Fight ain't over yet. One of them flew the coop." Logan noted.

"…" Henry growled in pain while Scott held him up. Unlike the rest, he was still as tense as he was earlier on. It was clear to Scott that his best friend's mind was still racing, and it took Emma a few seconds to catch up. And what she saw shocked her, but only for a second, as his thoughts made her recall one of the many revelations she entertained while under Rashana's mental thrall.

"What is it?" Peter asked, clutching at his sides, which thankfully enough were beginning to heal. The time Kitty spent inside of him must have been enough to give him an extra boost to his strength, though she herself seemed to be very much spent.

"They aren't mutants." Henry declared, earning him a lot of curious stares.

"Say what?" Kitty asked.

"Emma, if you don't mind, I don't think I can handle the talking right now…" he then muttered.

"The reason none of us could find them in Cerebra." Emma commented. "We were using the wrong bloody wavelength. They're human."

"…Okay, lot of questions…" Kitty remarked.

"No time for that now." Scott declared.

"We have to stop the one called Mariella." Emma noted.

"She doesn't look like she has that much fight left in her." Logan commented.

"No…no she doesn't. But she'll be heading back to the people she's really working for."

"…really working for?" Kitty' eyes knitted in confusion.

"There's no more Ring of Fatima…" added Peter.

"Quit it with the suspense already." Logan persisted.

"It's us, Logan. They're working for us."

**Chapter 7, End**

**Next Chapter – Where more revelations are made, the agents take matters into their own hands, and the school faces a crisis. **

**Author's note: Whoo, what the hell is Emma talking about? Well, just wait and see…**


	8. DoubleCross

**Author's note: Hey all, I just wanted to upload this before the 29th since it's going to be my birthday then. I'm turning twenty! **

**Previously on…**

**The Astonishing X-Men are a team of mutants, led by CYCLOPS and EMMA FROST, who fight to protect a world that has long feared and hated them. Their recent rise in popularity though, thanks in part to their recent ream-ups with the celebrity/superhero team Fantastic Four, as well as the trendy new lease on what people call "Mutant Culture", have made their lives all the more bearable. The resurrection of their long dead teammate COLOSSUS, has also improved their morale. **

**On the morning of September eleven, the world was horrified to witness the fall of the Two Towers, the result of two passenger airplanes getting commandeered directly into them. The death toll was flew past the thousands. After recognizing that it was an act of terrorism, the American Government and her close allies, have decided to wage a war on Terror. This was four years ago. The War on Terror still rages on. **

**When an American brigade find themselves under heavy attack from Iraqi guerilla, one of them, CHRISTIAN LEWIS, suddenly begins to feel the thoughts and emotions of every one surrounding him. Unable to take the enormous strain, he sees a glimpse of four women covered in blood red burqas, right before uncontrollably releasing a psychic shockwave that kills everyone in a four hundred mile radius. A group of women in red burqas, identifying themselves as the RING OF FATIMA, have taken responsibility for the tragedy. And they promise not to stop until everyone else perishes as well. **

**When the CIA contacts the X-Men to investigate, they are first weary of having to participate in such a sensitive issue. But after a night of arguing with the team, and perhaps something deeper, Emma Frost and SCOTT SUMMERS soon accepted the offer, recognizing their duties to homo superior as more important than their personal dislike of war. With the aid of LILAH MORGAN, they manage to reach Iraq without difficulty, and are soon sent to Karbala where the psychic shockwave originated. It didn't take long for Emma to realize that Christian Lewis was already dead. Soon after, the Ring of Fatima attack the X-Men. The battle leaves half the members of the Ring dead, and the X-Men severely injured. During the battle, HENRY MCCOY, known as THE BEAST, managed to learn something from one of the women. The identity of their employers, which Emma Frost cryptically identified as "us"…**

**

* * *

Chapter 8: "Double-Cross"**

**

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**

The sun was still high that cold afternoon, defiantly piercing the endless march of clouds with bright rays of light. It was almost as if a spotlight fell on the Xavier Institute, painting everything like a golden sepia. To be so close to such freedom as the sky held must have been something to be envious of. "_If only I could fly..." _Mark thought, as he shifted his gaze from the heavens above, to the cacophonous screeching of the men and women just outside the institute's gates. Angry faces each and everyone, all of them blaming the residents of the institute for whatever new complaint they could come up with. They didn't care that some of the people they were so intent on getting rid of haven't even gotten past puberty.

"Hey, Mark!" came a strong, if somewhat annoying voice, which snapped the young mutant out of his trance. Julian Keller ran past a few of the other students, who like Mark, stood motionless watching the hungry horde on the other side of the institute's enormous gates.

"Julian." Mark greeted, extending his fist as a sign of respect. Julian did the same. Like Mark, Julian stood out as one of the students who were easy on the eyes. He had short, black hair and a devilish grin that seemed to almost always hold a secret. But not that day.

"What the hell is wrong now?" Julian asked, placing his arms over his waist, as he stared at the mob chanting for them to leave.

"Apparently, they don't like mutants." Mark sarcastically replied, while Julian then leaned on Mark's shoulder with his elbow.

"Dude, you should just go all Soultaker on these dumbasses." Julian commented with a malicious grin. Unlike a lot of the other students, Julian, by the codename of Hellion, wasn't shy about using his telekinetic gifts. And it was his intention that every other student be the same.

"Man, these guys aren't even worth getting their souls sucked out." Mark retorted, trying to sound cool, when in all reality he was as afraid of using his powers as he was of losing somebody else he loved. Two scenarios which seemed to always be connected.

"Huh. Maybe I can use my powerful brain to force them to whack each other with those signs…"

"That would be…comical. Inappropriate, but comical."

"…There's a lot of them." Julian then noted, feeling the weight of the situation through the sheer number of protesters outside. "If they storm in here, it's not going to be easy…"

"This has got to be the worst time for every X-Team, and squad advisor, to be out on duty."

"Yeah. And I'm still wondering how Logan gets to be in each X-Team, and be a member of the Avengers, all at the same time."

"…let's just pray that these guys aren't dumb enough to try and invade a school full of hormonal teenagers with superpowers." Mark coolly stated.

"What are they complaining about now, anyway?" Julian then asked, before noticing a pretty, teenage girl in the crowd, who was clearly only there because she was brought along by her father. He gave her a quick smile, from which she immediately blushed and shied away from. Three seconds later and she looked back, just in time for a wink from the young Hellion, prompting her to giggle to herself.

"Remember that…uh, broadcast? About those chicks in burqas who said they were mutants and wanted to kill everyone? I think that's what this is about." Mark replied.

"God, now that's just stupid." Julian muttered, back to seriousness. "I swear man, one day they're going start complaining about having nothing to complain about."

"Some people just…they see you, you're a mutant, and then all of a sudden, you're every mutant, you know? And now, thanks to those psycho chicks in TV, we aren't just big bad mutants, we're also big bad terrorist mutants. Christ this is frustrating." Elaborated Mark, who didn't notice Beckah standing a few feet away, listening in. It was enough to drive a stake through her heart, seeing as she was guilty of the exact same thing with Sooraya, just one day ago.

"These idiots just don't get it." Mark then commented. "What happened in Iraq wasn't our fault."

**

* * *

**

**Karbala, Iraq/** **16:20 **

"This is all our fault." Emma muttered, as she led the X-Men down the weaving paths of the empty city. All of them were battered and bruised, one of them more so mentally than anything else. But like all good heroes, they soldiered on. They knew that there was a time to rest. And that there was a time to tackle the problem at hand.

"Us? They work for us? What the hell do you mean?" Kitty asked, as she did for the last five minutes since the woman made of diamond cryptically revealed who it was the now beaten Ring of Fatima served.

"Us. They're working for the United States of America. I'm still trying to put it all together, Katherine." Emma responded, still wet from being trapped inside Sultana's stomach for the better part of an hour.

"But you're sure? You're sure of this?" Scott inquired, walking a little behind Emma since he busied himself helping Hank remain on his feet. His love for the woman may at times cloud his better judgment, but he still knew when something was worthy of being doubted.

"I'm sure that Henry is sure, Scott." Emma immediately answered. "I scraped all of this from his mind after all." She then reminded. "And I'm certain that he would jump at the chance to elucidate further, had it not been for the creature that practically feasted on his colon."

"Internal…injuries…makes hard…to talk…" Henry added.

"My healing factor's faster than yours." Logan teased, adding a little levity to the situation.

"Besides, when that horrid woman tried to make my mind explode, it managed to temporarily increase my telepathy to some rather unnerving levels. And what Henry here managed to learn from Mariella ended up reminding me of one of the things I saw in my, dare I say, cosmic imaginings. The real people behind the strings."

**

* * *

**

**Military Installation/16:24**

"It doesn't matter." Agent Nolan declared scratched his brow in a fit of tedium. He and his partner followed the General Major down a long catwalk, one that overlooked the production facility at the very bottom. "Even though I believed the fight would actually last longer, the girls have brought us enough time. Everything will be ready by tonight. The plan will go on." He further commented, as he peered down onto dozens of empty canisters, each one big enough to hold a grown human being. They were all lined in rows, a field of empty glass cylinders that stretched across the entire facility.

"…Your faith in this project is very, very inspiring, agent." General Major Messer remarked. "I hope it's enough to protect you from the Wolverine if they find out what we're responsible for."

"We're more than equipped to handle some X-Men." Agent Cooper chided confidently.

"Good. Then I'm leaving them to you." Messer retorted. "Because I, for one, do not need a group of angry, super-powered mutants banging down my door, especially since two of them are practically immortal!"

"You shouldn't worry so much, sir. We've handled meta-humans before. These mutants will be just the same." Nolan reassured, as they began to make their way to the lift at the very end.

"Have either of you heard from Graham?" Messer then asked.

"Last we heard, she just finished having a conversation with the co-director of S.H.I.E.L.D." Cooper answered. "And she notified us that the troops will be in place by sundown."

"That's good news, agent. That's very good news." The General Major then said, as they all boarded the lift. But before any of them could press the button to descend, one of the large windows on the opposite end of the facility suddenly shatters, as the figure of a winged woman dove right through.

"Mariella…" Nolan muttered, as he watched the weakened woman lose control of her flight, and fall down to the ground floor.

"Deal with her." Messer instructed, as he hastily pushed the lift's button.

The wounded Mariella crashed on a line of empty canisters, nearly severing her already loose wing from the point of impact, before rolling down to the floor like a broken rag doll. Her jaw was back to its normal shape, no longer the reptilian appendage that it was in her encounter earlier on. "…my…sisters…" she deliriously uttered, as she tried desperately to crawl to safety. There were still a few employees in the area, everyone content at simply staring at the severely injured woman in silence. The whole area was covered by red lights, with large machinery and hydraulics scattered around that looked ready to devour anyone foolish enough to draw near. It was completely different from the barren facility that was shown the X-Men just hours before.

"Help…me…" Mariella pleaded in a hoarse voice, only to be cut off by her own blood, which she started violently coughing out. Her guttural pains were so loud that it didn't even make her notice the loud footsteps of leather against metal, which slowly came her way.

"…Mariella." Nolan greeted, as he knelt beside her crippled form. "And here I thought that the gifts we gave you would have been enough to hold the X-Men at bay. I mean, it was the only thing you and your sisters were born to do…and still, you all failed utterly."

"No…they…not…fair…"

"Yeah, yeah, whatever." Without warning, Nolan grabbed Mariella's neck, and effortlessly lifted her into the air. "All you're good at is reminding me how much of a better model I am than you are." And just like that, he twisted his grip, resulting in a loud crack and a lifeless body. The spectators then resumed their duties, as if nothing had happened.

"This is what we get for rushing things…" Cooper commented while leaning on one of the empty canisters.

"Doesn't matter. As long as Lilah gets the job done, we- -"

A loud explosion prevents him from finishing his statement, one which caused an entire section of the wall in front of him to be reduced into rubble. Bright sunlight from the outside poured inside, cutting a swath through the dark red lights of the installation. The time for subtleties was over. Nolan and Cooper stood side by side, while the rest of the facility's employees, fearlessly, or rather, emotionlessly, drew closer to the wreckage. All of them had green eyes.

"What did you do?" came a loud, booming voice from beyond the unsettled dust. Cyclops stood atop the smoking concrete that he had just torn apart, while the X-Men stood courageously at both sides. "Answer me, what did you do?"

"X-Men." Nolan calmly acknowledged. "If you could, remain calm…"

"Wrong answer." Scott hastily replied, firing a quick burst of optic fire that slammed against the agent's chest, sending him flying back. "Next!"

"We did what we had to, Mr. Summers." Cooper then said, wincing at the sound of his partner landing at the other end of the room.

"You sent us here…you planned everything." Emma sternly accused, as she entered the facility, with the rest of the team following suit. "When Christian Lewis died, and took the entire city with him, you made it look like he lost control over his telepathic powers. You made it look like something we X-Men should look into. Because you knew that it would never cross our minds…that it was in fact you who engineered Lewis' mind exploding in the first place."

"…" More men began to approach.

"You wanted us here for a reason. And you knew. You knew that a mutant emergency here in Iraq would be the only way to lure us into this 'War on Terror'. You knew that personal feelings aside, we X-Men had a job that needed doing. So we agree that you fly us here. And what happens next? We get ambushed. In the exact coordinates where you sent us to investigate."

"…" From out of the X-Men's view, Nolan has already pulled himself up.

"The truth is, Scott and I half-expected this. That it was some sort of trap. But he reassured me that the United States Government wouldn't be so… evil…as to harm their own, just to prompt a reaction that they wanted. But that really isn't the case, is it? Remember Cuba? 1898? A country that performed each and every sodding reform you demanded her to do. And what happens when they have nothing else to give you, save the country herself? You invade. By blowing up your own battleship, Maine, and blaming it on them. By labeling them as terrorists. Fast forward a couple more years…and we have 9/11. Exactly the same. Only this time, it was the Middle-East you needed conquering. Really…I should have never given any of you the benefit of the doubt. You're all so very sick."

"…" Cooper takes a step back.

"So, do be honest. You've succeeded in getting us here. And you've very near succeeded in getting us killed. Now with all of that out of the way, I think it only proper that you to explain why you want us dead…before I sic Logan on you."

"...Well…yes, I'm sorry but…that's classified."

All of a sudden, the sound of metal twisting screeched from behind the agent. Then a loud grunt. "…Move!" Scott yelled, as they found a large piece of broken machinery flung their way. With a loud thud it landed, not only forcing the X-Men to scatter, but practically sealing off the entrance that they made as well. Scott, Logan and Emma all dove to their right, while the other three, the ones in worse shape, took to their left. The employees then made a mad rush at the X-Men, some of them in lab coats, the others in construction gear, each one nary an expression on their cold faces. Two of them, one scientist and one engineer, immediately grabbed Logan on both arms, preventing him from lashing out.

"Hey!" Scott shouted, as he fired a short burst at the engineer that was at Logan's left. It gave the feral mutant enough room to crack his free fist across the scientist's jaw. Logan expected the old man to keel right over, but only got a fist across his own cheek in return. More men came, closing in on the X-Men like zombies on steroids. The White Queen immediately attempted to subdue them using her telepathy, only to retreat in shock soon after. "They don't have any brainwaves!" she exclaimed, before transforming herself into organic diamond in order to better handle things.

"They're strong!" Logan yelled, as he struggled to shake off what looked like a janitor who had his hands wrapped around his neck.

"Then we hit them hard, Logan!" Scott shot back, firing a wide-arc optic blast that tore down three of his assailants who charged up front.

"Not everyone relies on looking at something to kill it dear…" muttered Emma, who was having difficulty taking care of the five men who ganged up on her.

At the same time, one the other side, Kitty managed to roll onto all fours, only to look up and find Cooper standing over her. "Hey, babe." He greeted, as he took out a small, silver device which looked like a remote control. "…!" Kitty instinctively lunged at the immediate threat, only to feel an invisible force rattle her entire body. She didn't know that the remote in the agent's hands was a small weapon, one which could channel an invisible shockwave by merging and channeling collected frequencies. It would have hit her even if she was intangible. All the while Henry, who was still in no condition to fight, was- also busy defending himself against a group of assailing men. It prevented him from giving their youngest member a helping hand.

"Katya!" Peter yelled, as he watched the concussive force send the young woman crashing into a wall. He succeeded in getting Cooper's attention instead. Aiming the device like he would a gun, he quickly turned to the Russian, who too made an attempt to tackle the agent to the ground. The Colossus wasn't fast enough. Cooper quickly fired his weapon at Colossus, point blank, only to succeed in causing the Russian to stagger a few steps back.

"Not good…" the agent muttered to himself, as Peter glared at him through angry steel eyes.

"I don't know, Cooper." interrupted a male voice. Peter turned just in time to see Nolan, now for the first time without a pair of sunglasses, stand behind him. The agent then grabbed the Russian's arm, and with one hand, threw him across the facility, right through a metal beam that held a platform. With the support destroyed, an entire segment of the catwalk then crash on top of the already weakened Russian mutant, putting him out, at least temporarily, of the battle. "…everything seems perfectly fine to me."

"…I just noticed." Henry then muttered as he pushed himself up against the cracked wall to support his own weight. "…your eyes."

"Lovely shade of green, isn't it, doctor?" Nolan remarked. "All of us here have green eyes. Apparently, our maker fancied them very well. Hell, don't tell me you never wondered why I always wore sunglasses?"

"Except me of course. Well, there was Mike, the chopper guy, but he's out right now…went ahead and flew to the White House with the General Major. Apparently, he has a very gripping story about how the X-Men went to Karbala and completely destroyed US military property." Cooper interjected, aiming his weapon at Henry. "So yeah, that leaves me."

"Good to know." Henry responded, as he suddenly kicked a block of broken-off concrete by his feet at the direction of Cooper. It hit its mark. The concrete piece shattered against the human agent's chest with a loud, sickening crack. Cooper immediately fell back with a painful grunt, at least for the time being, putting him out of the battle. "Hey!" Nolan shouted, as he watched his teammate resign to unconsciousness. "That wasn't very- -"

"Shut up." Henry chided, right before tackling the agent at full strength. Nolan grunted in pain as the force of the Beast's tackle forced him backwards, so much so that he needed to stomp both his feet into the ground to act as brakes. It worked. But before the agent could launch a reprisal, Henry immediately leapt, and flipped overhead. While in midair, he grabbed Nolan's head with both hands from behind, and pulled the agent down hard as he landed. The resultant crack of skull against metal was sickening. Back at the other end, the senior half of the X-Men still struggled with the enemy fodder.

"What the hell happened here?" Scott yelled, firing three quick rounds that took down a group of men who attempted to flank him.

"This is very distressing!" shouted Emma as she slammed her knee onto a worker's groin. Genetically enhanced or not, it certainly did its job. But no matter how many they downed, a couple more seemed to run right at them, moving the fight right to the middle of the facility.

"They're getting up as fast as we take them down!" their leader declared, while firing a narrow beam that slammed across four men who charged at him in a row.

"Then we take them down permanently!" cried Logan, unsheathing his claws and plunging them right into the first man that he saw next. He was Iraqi. "Huh?" a steady stream of blood, mixed with green and orange, began to streak down the Canadian's hands. Just like the liquid that still clung onto the empty canisters. The man was still standing. "Shi- -" Logan gritted his teeth as he watched the man begin to pull Logan's claws out of his stomach. "Never…die…" the man then uttered with a wide, bloody grin, enough to send chills down the battle-hardened mutant's adamantium spine. "_Focus!" _he quickly ordered himself, as he pulled out his claws from the man's system, forcing the enemy off balance. Then without hesitation, he swiped his claws across the man's neck, instantly severing the head right off the shoulders.

"Emma!" he then called, swiping at another man who came his way. "No brainwaves means dead, right?"

"More or less. Though in our case, I feel terribly inclined to the latter..." Emma calmly responded, knowing that her diamond form was impenetrable against her enemies' fists and axes.

"Ever wondered why we couldn't find any dead bodies in Karbala?" Logan then asked, only now noticing the mixture of races that came against them. It didn't take long for the White Queen to follow in Logan's acute observation. There were no more bodies in Karbala, where thousands of men and women died. Not even any mention of where the bodies had gone.

"Oh my God…they're the victims…" uttered the diamond woman, realizing that they weren't fighting soldiers under the agents' employ. "Wait! We're fighting barely a hundred men! If these really are the reanimated bodies of everyone who died…where's the rest?" The sudden blurred motion of someone rocketing past her, crashing into the canisters to her right, instantly brought her back to the current situation. "Henry!" she called, recognizing the bloodied mutant who was now mangled in steel.

"Miss Frost. You look stunning." Nolan greeted, most of his clothes now shredded, while a large claw mark was streaked across his cheek.

"Agent Nolan. You look like horse droppings." Responded Emma in kind, before slamming her elbow on an enemy who tried to sneak up on her from behind. The agent saw this as the perfect opportunity to strike, and made a quick dash towards the diamond woman. He must have forgotten that the X-Men, even with all their changes and line-up, remained a team. A powerful optic blast suddenly came and hit him from the left, sending him careening right into the very chunk of machinery that he threw at the X-Men in the first place. Nolan quickly got up, only to receive another optic blast that sent him right back down. And then another one, just for some good measure.

"Why did you bring us here, Nolan?" shouted the mutant leader, who now stood in the bloodied Agent's way. His hand was kept on his visor, ready for any sudden moves that his adversary would make. "What do you want from us?"

"…you? You superhero types always think that everything's about you, don't you?" Nolan cryptically countered, gripping at his bleeding sides.

"What do you- -"

"Haven't you figured it out yet? We don't want anything from you genetic freaks! We never did! What we want is that shiny, little toy in that mansion of yours…"

"…Oh no…" Scott swallowed the lump in his throat as the realization of their true intention hit him like a wrecking ball. "You drew us out…"

"No one to protect the school now, eh Mr. Summers?"

**

* * *

**

**Cerebra/16:46**

"No can do. The entire installation is thought-proofed." Celeste remarked. To say that the Three-in-One has been spending a ridiculous amount of time in Cerebra was quite the understatement. Only the most highly talented telepaths learn how to wield Cerebra, and when they do, a session of more than a few hours is enough to leave them mentally, and physically exhausted. To be blunter, the three girls, in working the machine non-stop, should have already died from brain hemorrhage. But the sisters weren't even breaking a sweat.

"Why didn't we see this before?" Mindee asked, shaking her head, as she attempted to bypass the building's shields by looking into the future instead.

"_Perhaps if you let me, I could find them for you…"_whispered a woman's voice. A voice that only Mindee could hear.

"_Get out of my head…" _Mindee telepathically responded, taking a step back from her sisters so that they wouldn't notice here distracted state.

"_No can do. You made a promise to me in your dreams…" _

"_Well, I take it back!" _

"_But you already said yes to me before. And you will ask for my help soon. And when you do…" _

"Mindee!" Celeste called once again, snapping her back to reality.

"What?" Mindee then asked, as if nothing had happened.

"Stay focused. We don't need your mind wandering off…"

"Both of you, quiet!" Phoebe then scolded. "…what's the status on the transport?"

"Prodigy and Aero are already halfway across the ocean, I'm showing them the coordinates." noted Celeste. "They'll be there in an hour, give or take."

"Oh…wait…" interrupted Phoebe. "Mindee, you ought to check out your boyfriend's room…"

"What is…oh my- -"

**

* * *

**

**Male Dormitories/16:47**

Mark let out a sigh of relief as he got too his dormitory room door. He could still feel his shoulders ache after the one and a half-hour game, and the thought of his bed welcoming him to slumber land seemed much more attractive then spending the evening drinking apple cider at the game room with the rest of the team. He took a quick glance at the book in his hand, 'The Screwtape Letters' by C.S. Lewis. He has heard good things about it, but being forced to read it for finals was quite distressing. But before his mind could wander to the many hours he'll need to finish it, a familiar, telepathic voice managed to snap him back to reality. "_Mark, hurry!" _

"…!"It was Mindee's voice. And it wasn't a usual occasion for it to be filled with urgency. The young man quickly grabbed the doorknob and tried turning it open. "It's locked!" he shouted, catching the attention of two students who were loitering in the corridor. "I don't have my key!"

"_Then break it down!" _Mindee shouted, prompting Mark to do as she says. He took a quick step back, then rammed his already sore shoulder on the wooden door. It didn't break.

"Hey man…" interrupted one of the students. "You don't have to do that, Justin McKenzie can pick locks with his tongue, he's over at- -"

"No time!" Mark yelled, as he charged one more time, finally forcing the door open with a loud crack. By then, half of the students on the floor were already out of their rooms, curious as to what had the young man all riled up. From their doorways, they managed to catch a glimpse of horrified shock on Mark's face, which easily compelled them to take a look at what he saw.

"Oh, sweet Jesus." Mark slowly uttered, as he found his roommate's body hanging down a noose that was tied to the ceiling fan. "Chris!" he yelled, running up to the lifeless body and grabbing it by the feet. "Fuck! Help! Somebody help!" he further shouted, as he pushed the body up so that the tension around its neck could lessen.

"Tommy!" one of the students outside called, while two others rushed in and helped Mark push the body up. "Tommy we need that heat vision, now!"

"Get Kelly! He's got this magic sword- -"

"The rope's too tight!" shouted a student who was trying to untie the noose.

"Kelly! Kelly! You've got to cut this guy down!"

"Tommy! Rope! Heat vision! Now!"

"Come on, come on, come on, why'd you do this you stupid piece of shit?" yelled Mark, right before a small burst of fire severed the rope that connected the body hung on. "Careful!" a student shouted over Mark's shoulder, as he began to lay Chris down on the bed. He wasn't breathing.

"What do we do now?" one of the students asked.

"Oxygen, he needs oxygen!" suggested someone by the doorway. "Where's Josh?"

"Just give the idiot CPR!"

**

* * *

**

**Women's Dormitories/16:49**

"Sooraya?" greeted Beckah, right as the Afghani woman opened her dormitory room door. Behind Sooraya, Beckah could hear the ruckus of someone shuffling through a closet.

"Who's out there?" asked Sooraya's roommate, still rummaging something out of view.

"…Beckah." Sooraya greeted back, she herself unsure of how to talk to somebody who had recently tried to kill her. "…Is there something you need?" she asked, going for the much safer route.

"Uh yeah, I mean, no…" stammered the young woman, unable to maintain eye contact with Sooraya. "I mean…uh…about, the time when…"

"…Beckah. It's fine." Sooraya immediately assured, placing her hand on the nervous student's shoulder in an attempt to comfort her. "You lost control. Who doesn't?"

"But it isn't fine! It was so, so dumb of me! I mean, you had to like, go through slavery and stuff back in your homeland, and when you get here, stupid kids like me still end up giving you a hard time and…!"

"Wait- -" the Afghani suddenly murmured, her eyes trailing to something behind.

"No, please, listen, I mean, I- -" continued the panicking girl, talking faster than coherence would allow.

"Beckah, for a moment- -" Sooraya politely interrupted once again, clearly distracted with something.

"I'll make it up to you, I promise! I- -" Beckah continued prattling on, clearly oblivious of what the Afghani was saying.

"Beckah, quiet!" the Afghani finally snapped, finally hushing the young woman in front of her.

"…" Beckah licked her dry lips, her mind racing at the thoughts of her possibly saying something wrong.

"Don't you hear that?" Sooraya asked after a moment's silence.

"What do you…?"

"There's something…"

"Everyone, outside! Look outside!" one of the students shrilly screamed from inside her room. Sooraya turned back, and hastily ran up to the windows that had a clear view of the front lawn. Beckah went in after her. Both of them could hear the hurried footsteps of other students in different rooms and floors doing the same.

**

* * *

**

**Outside/16:50**

There was a flash of lightning. A bolt of thunder. And a sight to behold. Beyond the metal gates were parked more than a dozen transport trucks and jeeps, each one packed to the brim with American infantry. They all held assault rifles at the ready, almost like machines that simply waited for the right time to strike. Their faces were cold, lifeless, with black and green paint smeared across. Even from the distance where the students stood, they could still see the horrific glow of their bright, yellow eyes. It was as if demons had come out of the dark woods surrounding the institute. A soft drizzle then fell from the empty, night sky, as if a prelude of the horrors to come. At the very middle of it all stood a woman in a gray business suit. Lilah Graham. Her eyes crystal blue seemed to sparkle in anticipation at the conquest before her. While behind, as always, stood Simon. Her chauffeur. Though it was clear that at that moment, no limousine was anywhere to be found. He was the one who handed her a red megaphone.

"Residents of the Xavier Institute!" Lilah then called out, with the lightning overhead seemingly dancing at the sound of her cold voice. "There is nothing to fear." She immediately reassured, even though everything around her suggested otherwise. "None of us will harm you. That is of course…only… if you cooperate. We're here to change the world. To make it a better place. And all we ask for you…is to do your part. I am giving you all thirty minutes to assemble yourselves on the front lawn of the institute…so we could properly ensure your safety. We only want one thing, children. For the world to finally be at peace. No more idiotic arms races, no more cataclysmic escalation… no more wars. As of this night, humanity will no longer need to suffer the stupidity of those who claim to know what is best for their countries. World Peace. Literally. Our gift to you, and to the children you'll bear. And for that to happen…we need Cerebra. If any of you get in the way…then believe me, we will burn your home to the ground…and all of you along with it."

**

* * *

**

**Chapter 8, End**

**Next Chapter – Where the children make a decision, the X-Men are held up, and the metaphor of this entire tale will go full swing.**

**Author's note: Whee! Okay, I hope you liked that one, the next chapter is the penultimate installment of my story. We're finally reaching endgame! Comments? Suggestions? VIOLENT reactions? Send them my way! Chow. **


	9. Freedom

**Author's note: School's starting in a few days. Pish. So anyway, I hope you enjoyed your holidays! Mine was nifty. Anyway, here it is, endgame! This is the second to the last chapter of my politically pompous, leftist platform!**

**

* * *

**

**Chapter 9: "Freedom"**

**

* * *

**

"_Are those guys for real?"_

"_What the hell is going on? Why are all those people out there?"_

"_Where are the teachers? They'll know what to do…"_

"_No way am I getting frisked by some fascist fucks!"_

"_There's so many of them!"_

"_Who do these freaks think they are?"_

"Everyone's thinking too loud…" complained Mindee, while gripping her temples in an attempt to soothe the pain dealt by the student body's confusion. Though oddly enough, it seemed that out of the three, it was only she who managed to gain access into the multitude of minds in the institute.

"Those soldiers…their minds are empty…there's nothing where thoughts and consciousness should be…" Celeste mused, as she attempted to scan each one for any sign of weakness.

"Don't try to get into their motor functions. They may be booby-trapped." added Mindee.

"That woman…Lilah Graham. Her thoughts are shielded from tampering, but I can see her intentions like a big, neon sign. I think she's very self-righteous." commented Phoebe.

"She wants us to see her thoughts. She knows we're looking in." Celeste responded.

"…She knows we'll agree." whispered Mindee, her voice defeated and her shoulders slumped.

"_No, you won't." _interrupted a young man's voice. Mark stood silently in the med bay a few rooms away. Beside him was another student by the name of Joshua Foley, an omega-healer with blonde hair, and distinctly gold skin. It was the both of them who carried the still unconscious Chris, thanks to his recent attempt at hanging himself, to where he was now.

"Mark?" Mindee looked up. She usually separated herself from the mind-link that she shared with her sisters whenever she and her boyfriend had a telepathic conversation. But this time was different.

"You gave him the keys to our head?" Phoebe and Celeste both yelled, though their third sister didn't bother to respond.

"_Hey ladies." _the young man greeted.

"Three voices in my head are enough, thank you very much." Celeste said with a sneer.

"We can't risk entering a situation where we could get the other students hurt, Mark." Mindee immediately explained. "Lives are at stake here. We are in no position to- -"

"_I overheard from your thoughts…about what the woman wants. Do you agree with her?" _

"…No. Even though it sounds so…right."

"_And how do you think the rest of us feel?" _

"I don't know. But we can't make the decision for everyone."

"_I'm not asking you to. Because doing so means we're no better than people like the woman outside. But what if you ask the rest of the kids about what they actually want? I mean…no one has…" _

"…well, there's a first time for everything…"

**

* * *

**

**Military Installation/ 17:00**

"The school…?" Scott lowered his hand from his visor, as the horrific realization of his folly hit him like a two-by-four to the head. It was an opening that Nolan took no time wasting to expose. With the speed of motion blurring his body, he made a quick dash towards Scott, slamming his palm against the mutant leader's chest with stunning ferocity. The sound of bones cracking could be heard even without the help of enhanced senses. Scott landed on the back of his head after sailing across the air in twelve feet's worth of distance, further adding damage to his system.

"Scott!" Emma quickly got rid of the man blocking her way, only to be grabbed from behind by another. Two more flanked her from both sides, grabbing her arms. "Get off me you imbecilic cows!" the woman yelled, as she was dragged down to the floor by the men, aided by three more who now hammered their fists against her diamond skin. It may not hurt her, but it was still enough to prevent her from aiding Scott, who was now down on all fours and gasping heavily for breath.

"You know Mr. Summers…" Nolan started, taking the time to rip off the last remaining shreds of what was once his suit. "…you could have avoided all of this. You and your slut girlfriend simply needed to realize the gift you have in your basement. Mind control. Mind control on a global scale! You could have changed the world! Avoided all of this! You could short circuit the brains of dictators! You could end any threat to freedom! But no… " the agent quickly stepped forward, and kicked Scott in the side, sending the mutant crashing through a glass cylinder. "No! You chose to allow humanity to keep crapping in its pants, so much, so much that the stench is fucking unbearable! Why? Why let people die? Why not stop the problem before it even begins?"

"Because…" interrupted a hoarse, female voice from behind. Nolan turned to find Kitty, holding onto the fallen Cooper's remote weapon. "…we aren't gods…" she declared, firing a concussive blast right into Nolan's face. The blow sent the agent flying, landing a short distance away. "…and I never understood it until now."

"Cute…" Nolan muttered in a guttural tone as he got up, using the back of his palm to swipe the blood away from his eyes.

"Tell me about it." The young woman retorted, doing a quick one-eighty in order to blast an enemy that was ready to grab her from behind. She didn't know how much more energy her new toy could generate, but she knew that she won't let go of it unless it's completely useless to her. Perhaps Nolan read her mind. The very second that the Shadowcat turned to face the agent again, his face was already an inch away from hers. Kitty instinctively raised her weapon to fire, but was stopped as the agent grabbed the hand that she was holding it with.

"That ain't yours girlie'." Nolan sneered, raising her hand and crushing it, along with the weapon that she held onto. Her shrill cry was deafening. With a smirk on his face, Nolan let the mangled hand go, not even flinching at the sight of the torn skin and the metal that was now entangled with it. Kitty clenched her eyes tight, doing her best to ignore the searing pain from her mangled hand. She rendered herself intangible, trying feverishly to shake the solid shards of plastic and metal that were dug into her palm. Nolan stood over the agonized young woman, chuckling at the sight of her anguish. "That's gotta' hurt." The agent commented, turning around to resume his torture of the X-Men's leader, who was still recovering from being thrown against steel and glass.

"Now, where were we?" Nolan asked, cracking his knuckles loud just to get the Cyclops' blood rushing. The wounded mutant was already on his knees, using a torn off piece of metal to support his weight.

"…if I recall correctly, you were going to have a talk with Kitty's boyfriend…" the X-Man groggily responded. Nolan tilted his head, foolish enough to think that the Colossus was out of the game. A loud crack proved him wrong, as he felt an organic steel fist square in his back. The pain of the blow was so intense; it ended up muffling the agent's cry due to shock. The Colossus did not relent, as he raised another fist, and slammed it down on the agent, who was still down on his stomach. It landed on the back of Nolan's head with another loud crack. One could swear that it was the sound of his skull getting split open.

It gave Scott enough time to turn to his right and fire a wide-arc that blasted the five men off of Emma, which in turn gave her an opportunity to snap herself back up to her feet. "Anesthesia!" Scott then ordered, prompting Emma to telepathically remove the crippling pain that Kitty felt. "Done." immediately declared the diamond woman. "Good." Scott responded, turning his attention to Logan, who was now being helped by a recovered Beast to dispatch the remaining men who attempted to take the Canadian down. All the while Peter was still ruthlessly hammering his fists on the agent's broken body, each one seemingly more powerful than the last.

"Peter, that's enough!" Kitty yelled the moment she got her bearings. The man did not relent. There was an anger in his eyes that Kitty wished she did not see. "Peter, please!" she repeated, her plea much shriller than before. "No more killing!"

"…" Peter raised his arm over his head, ready to once more strike at the bloody mess at his feet. "He hurt you." he then muttered, his voice still seething with rage.

"But I'm fine now." Kitty responded, hiding her broken hand in the grip of her other.

"He isn't even human." Peter then remarked.

"Neither are we."

"…he's a monster."

"He's fighting for what he believes in. Just as much as we do."

"…"

"I sounded just like him, didn't I?"

"…We're done here." Emma interrupted, before Peter could give her an answer. "We need to get back to the institute. Now." But just as the White Queen finished her statement, a loud gunshot rung out. "…" Emma looked down, and found blood slowly began to puddle on the side of her stomach. The rest of the team looked on in shock, as Emma crumpled to the ground.

"Emma! No!" Scott sprinted to the aid of his lover, while the rest of the team focused their attention to the man responsible for putting a bullet through her. Agent Cooper rested himself against the far wall, a faint trickle of blood running down his twisted lips.

"You're never going to leave…" he hissed, revolver still in hand, before blindly unloading the entire barrel on them, and then scrambling off into the shadows. Logan didn't waste time in pursuing him. And neither did Henry. Kitty on the other hand, immediately knelt beside the unconscious Miss Frost. "Lay her down, Scott…" the young woman instructed, to which the he immediately complied. Without Emma's telepathy subduing her pain, the fire in her hand began to worsen. But that wasn't the point. All personal feelings aside, Kitty knew that she was in a team. And that helping others isn't as difficult as most people make it out to be. With a deep breath, Kitty turned herself intangible, reaching into the side of Emma's abdomen with her hand.

"Sorry for being such a butt-head." The young woman whispered, carefully fishing out the bullet from inside Emma. It was so small. Nonetheless, it wasn't enough to put Emma out of danger. And neither was it enough to wash the tension from Scott's face.

"…" Scott tore off the sleeve of his shirt, and pressed it against the entry wound on Emma's back. "Apply pressure." He then said, to which Kitty didn't think twice to obey, as Scott quickly got up to his feet and followed the two other men in pursuing the fleeing agent. But before he could gain any distance, a loud siren began to blare throughout the entire facility.

"That doesn't sound good…" Scott muttered to himself, as he found a nearby set of steel stairs, and immediately ascended to the second floor, where he last saw Henry and Logan headed.

"Scottie!" then rang out the Canadian's gruff voice. But before Scott could reach the direction where his voice came from, an automated one began to ring out. It was the voice of a woman. Announcing that they had three minutes to vacate the installation. Before it self-destructs.

"We gotta' go!" Logan then shouted, running out of one of the rooms. There was red blood stained on his claws. Human's. Scott didn't have to ask to know that the agent was taken care of.

"We weren't able to stop him fast enough. So as you can see…" Henry glanced up, referring to the automated voice that was announcing the installation's imminent destruction.

"Damn. I'm beginning to feel like I'm in that videogame…Logan, get the others. Hank, how big is this explosion going to be?"

"…it's something we can't outrun."

"Okay, then. Up on the roof."

"I doubt they'd leave their chopper behind…"

"It's not the chopper."

**

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**

**Cerebra/17:25**

"So it's settled." declared the Stepford Cuckoos in unison. With the help of Cerebra, the three girls managed to consult with every member of the student body, all two-hundred plus, and finally reached a course of action. "That was quick." Mark commented, as he stood by the double-doors of the round chamber.

"..." Mindee gave her boyfriend a glance of hesitation, prompting the young man to nod at her in reassurance. He trusted her. And she knew it. And for some people, it was enough.

"_Al right. Everyone!" _

**

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**

**Women's Dormitories/-at the same time- **

"_This is the Three-in-One. After deliberating with each of you…we have come to a decision." _the female students all glanced at each other nervously; a little uncomfortable that the hive mind would speak so clearly inside their heads. Beckah and Sooraya silently stood by each other's side. The latter's roommate, Noriko Ashida, stood silently against the doorway's frame. She was banging her metal gloves against each other in anticipation. Just outside were Sofia Mantega and Laurie Collins, known better as Wind Dancer and Wallflower respectively. "_As you know, there's a small army parked in front of the institute. We've told you what they want, and you've told us how you want to deal with it." _

**

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**

**Medical****Bay/-at the same time- **

"_And it's been more or less unanimous." _Elixir helped Chris sit up, speaking words of encouragement to the young man who had just tried to kill himself, while at the same time keeping his attention with the Three-in-One's telepathic announcement. "_What they want is a breach of what we hold dearest to us. Our freedom. No matter how benevolent their intentions may be, we cannot allow them to succeed. We will be defending the institute. With our very lives if necessary." _

**

* * *

**

**Cafeteria/-at the same time- **

"_Everyone will proceed to the sub-complex immediately. That means snack time is over, Hellions." _Julian raised an eyebrow, taking another big bite from a burger. Santo Vaccarro, a large young man made entirely of granite, sat beside Julian, grinning at the prospect of a fight. "_We know that there are those of you who would rather not fight…" _Kevin Ford bowed his head, and looked at his gloved hands. Cessily Kincaid, a young redhead by the composition, and name, of Mercury, watched him with sad eyes. "…_that's why the Danger Room will be open to accommodate you, along with those of us who are far too inexperienced to be in the field. The rest of us however…" _

**

* * *

**

**Cerebra/17:28**

"…the rest of us show these G.I. Joe rejects what two-hours of daily self-defense classes and advanced combat training means. The rest of us show them that perfection is earned…not engineered. That their vision of tranquility has too great a price to be allowed. Say your prayers people…this might be the last night we'll share."

"…" Mark closed his eyes and took a deep breath. "…any word from the X-Men?"

"…Prodigy and Aero should be there to pick them up." Answered Celeste. "With the Shi'ar technology of the Blackbird, it will only take them a few hours for the return flight."

"We'll last." Mark quickly reassured her.

"I hope so. Now someone get me Plastique and a teleporter. We have work to do."

**

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**

**Blackbird/-at the same time-**

"Get some disinfectant and find me some staples! Quick!" ordered Henry, who still literally had his paws full with trying to stop Emma from bleeding further. Aero and Prodigy, Cannonball's younger sister and an African American with psychometric talents respectively, scurried to do as she said. Peter sat opposite the bunker that Emma occupied, now back in his human form in order for his wounds to heal quicker. Kitty leaned by the doorway, staring at her bandaged hand. Behind her was the cockpit, where Scott was at the wheel, and Logan, who had three bullets stuck in his neck, silently rode shotgun.

"How long before we get there?" asked Logan in a raspy voice, as he pulled out another bullet from the hole in his neck. There was an intensity in his eyes; intensity that didn't come from the pain in his system, but from the knowledge that their adversaries had just crossed a line.

"Three hours at top speed." Scott replied, keeping his eye on the air, as it was.

"…and how long before we reach top speed?" Logan further inquired.

"Systems are still charging." Kitty chided, as she took a seat behind her Canadian teammate. "Ten more minutes."

"That's great." muttered Logan, before pointing at the radar on his console. "Think they'll give us ten more minutes?"

"Are those…?" Kitty turned to their teammates who were still in the sick bay. "…buckle up guys!" she shouted, while Scott increased engine thrust. Three F-22 Raptors were hot on their trail.

**

* * *

**

**Xavier Institute/17:30 **

Lilah took one last glance at her watch, while small droplets of water slid silently across the glass. Thirty minutes. The wind howled from behind her, as if some dark force was intent on pushing her to her goal, while the soft drizzle that showered from the pitch black sky began to turn into a violent rain. Time was up, and there were no students in sight. "…hand me the megaphone." She then instructed, half-turning and reaching her hand for something behind. But before anyone could comply, the sudden appearance of psionic energy managed to return her attention to the institute's closed doors. The space in the middle seemed to slowly distort, then quickly began shifting impossibly until the figure of three young women appeared.

"_Weapon IX. It's a pleasure." _Lilah telepathically greeted, hoping that the three brought with them good news.

"Miss Graham. We have discussed your proposition with the rest of the student body…and have come to a decision." The three-in-one's eyes suddenly began to light up with energy. "We decline."

"…that is not a wise- -"

"We know. We know that what you want to accomplish seems shiny and new, but when it all comes down to it, you're only succeeding in showing the world how much of a bully you people are."

"I'm very sorry that you feel that way."

"Don't be. And please be reminded that the institute is covered in security measures. It would be foolish to send your men in."

"…it really didn't have to be this way." Lilah shook her head, and then snapped her fingers. The girls watched on as two men from inside one of the transport trucks carried a large, circular machine, and put it on the ground. "Last chance girls." Lilah offered, reaching into her jacket and pulling out a silver Luger just to show them that she wasn't kidding.

"…Bring it." Challenged the Three-in-One, disappearing into the air. Lilah turned to her men, and raised her hand. With a nod, the men opened a panel on top of the machine, and entered the command on a keyboard found within.

"God forgive me. But this is for the greater good." Lilah whispered to herself, just as the machine began to glow with light blue energy. It was an EMP. And in a fraction of a second, it sent a shockwave that disabled every electrical device within the institute, rendering every defense measure completely useless. It was powerful enough to reach the sub-complex, turning all the power off in an instant. Lilah could feel the students begin to panic.

**

* * *

**

**Blackbird/-at the same time- **

"Open a line." Scott instructed, as he shifted his gaze from between the radar and the path ahead. Logan flipped a panel open, and adjusted a few small knobs.

"Anything?" Kitty asked while peering over Logan's shoulder. A loud static came to respond.

"Looks like they aren't up for tea and cookies…" Logan mumbled as Kitty slunk back to her seat.

"Emma's still out, so there goes getting into their heads…" Henry chided from inside the sick bay. "Maybe we can use the fo- -" a loud beeping sound cut Henry off. It was the alarm. Scott cursed under his breath as he watched blinking, yellow dots appear on their radar screen.

"Mr. Summers? Are we going to die?" Aero asked nervously, clutching on to the bars on both sides of her seat.

"Of course not." Scott quickly responded. "Just hold on tight."

**

* * *

**

**Xavier Institute/17:35**

"…open those gates." Lilah then instructed, prompting a pair of soldiers to take out a black, battering ram from the back of the transport truck. They did not waste any time putting it to good use. "The world will be made whole again, children." Lilah muttered, to no one in particular, as she watched the men kept on forcing the gate open. Five military jeeps sped into the grounds, stopping just a few feet inside and positioning themselves around the broken gates, a makeshift barricade of sorts, in order to protect Lilah. "Yours will be the last sacrifice this sick planet need endure." The loud crack of metal against metal filled the air one last time, as the locks of the institute fell. Lilah turned one last time, gazing at the stone faces of her undead army. She closed her eyes, and raised her hand high over her head.

"This is where the soul ends." She whispered, as she gave her troops the signal to attack. And they did. A rumble of footsteps echoed along the weeping sky, as a sea of armed men stormed through the front lawn. Another crack of lightning. Canisters of tear gas were shot through the numerous glass windows. And the closed doors of the main building are broken down.

"We're in." one of the dead men reported into an earpiece, as he and the rest of his squad began to sweep the main lobby, while the rest moved in after them. "Clear." He announced, while a group of men went ahead to the second floor. Empty as well. The rest of the squads began to go separate ways, heading towards the dormitories with murderous intent. And as they searched the halls looking for moving targets, none of them noticed the small bulges that blended perfectly to the walls, scattered in areas where the foundation of the school was rested upon. They were small, barely noticeable. And with the dead men's attention on finding the children, they did not notice the bulges slowly grow. Slowly. Silently.

One of the dead men stopped and found his eyes drawn to the growing patch on the wall. He raised his hand, signaling for the rest of his squad to stop, as he curiously drew closer to it. Back outside, Lilah's eyes widened in horror, realizing that the students weren't as defenseless as she originally thought. "Get them out of there, now!" she yelled, only a little too late, as the dead man reached out, and touched the growing patch that clung to the wall. Another bolt of thunder streaked across the dark sky, a fraction of a second before the entire institute exploded in a shower of white light, splinter and ash. The shockwave it sent out forced Lilah off her feet, which was far better than how the soldiers who wandered inside the mansion itself fared. Now, only rubble stood of the main building, while grey smoke from the pulverized concrete drifted into thick smoke that filled the air.

**

* * *

**

**Over the Pacific/-at the same time-**

The Blackbird swerved forcefully to the left, avoiding the first two missiles, which promptly turned as well just seconds after. "Come on…" Scott whispered through gritted teeth, as he pulled the throttles in order for the Blackbird to make a quick descent. It didn't take long for the X-jet's belly to be just a few feet's distance from touching the ocean's roaring surface. "Incoming!" Logan shouted, as two more missiles from above were already closing in on their rear, while the first two that they managed to dodge earlier on were bringing up their right.

"Hang on, people!" Scott yelled, showing an icy calm that easily reminded the rest of the team why he was appointed leader. "Logan, maximum thrust, now!" he then ordered, pulling the aircraft upward. Logan hurriedly flipped a small switch by his console, which caused the turbines to fire at full strength. It left the missiles coming from the right and from behind to cross lines. "Just one…" Scott pleaded to some higher force. The first two managed to miss each other by barely an inch, while the second two however, struck each other hard. Its resultant explosion managed to engulf the first two which missed each other, forcing them to explode was well, causing a shockwave so strong, it created a wall of water that spiked to the air.

"We're not out of the blue yet…" muttered Logan, just as the last, fully-armed Raptor flew through the falling water, still in hot pursuit.

**

* * *

**

**Xavier Institute/17:40**

Lilah glared at the ruins in front of her, never in her life imagining what lengths mere children would go to in order to fight for what they believe in. "…is everyone alright?" she asked, even though she knew that pain was not an issue for her army of undead soldiers. Simon, her chauffeur, protectively took a step in front of her. The battle was just beginning.

"_We warned you." _boomed the voice of the Three-in-One.

"For the sake of billions." Lilah responded with an exasperated tone. "You will not stop us."

"_That remains to be seen." _the Three-in-One retorted, their voice disappearing with the howling wind and deafening thunder.

"Regroup! Regroup!" Lilah immediately yelled, as the rest of her small army reorganized themselves, taking the time to pick up the ones wounded from being blown into the lawn by the blast.

"Defensive formation, now!" she then instructed, as the soldiers began to line up in rows, pointing their automatic rifles at the debris in front of them.

"Shoot anything that moves!" she further decreed, while her chauffeur helped her back to her feet. Lightning streaked across the clouds. And Lilah felt her heart stop as she saw the shadows emerge from the smoke and ash. Figures of every shape and size, of hulking men composed of rock, and young women who walked on wind and danced on fire. Of young men and women who grew up in a world of violence, and knew nothing else but to resort to it in order to defend themselves. They were not children. Not anymore. Not in a world like this. Without so much a word or a battle cry, the students of the Xavier Institute charged forward. Forward for what they believed in the most. The single most important illusion that the human mind has ever conjured. Freedom. The right to choose. The right to love. The right to believe. The right to die in the way that will ensure you will forever live on. Children. They were children. And fifty heavily armed men stood in the way of their future.

**

* * *

**

**Over the Pacific/-at the same time- **

The last Raptor sped on, keeping his sights on the Blackbird, and locking it in his crosshairs. Taking the chance, the pilot opened the cover on the throttle and pressed the red button on top, launching both missiles at the target. "We've got blinkies." Logan noted, watching the yellow dots appear on radar once more.

"How long before we go on full power?" posed Scott, glancing over at the console in front of Logan.

"Not nearly long enough." answered the Canadian, as the missiles grew closer.

"Kitty, you strong enough?" asked Scott, half-turning as he addressed his team's youngest member. Kitty gave him a thumb up. "Just hold on to something…" she whispered, as she began to focus the remainder of her energy. The missiles drew closer. Aero and Prodigy had their eyes closed as they waited, while Henry held onto Emma's hand, while keeping another on a bar by his side. "Incoming…" Scott whispered, as he watched the radar. "Three…"

**

* * *

**

**Xavier Institute/17:42 **

"Fire!" Lilah shrieked, pointing at the incoming storm with the barrel of her gun. And in no time, the sound of pounding rain was swept aside by the loud crackle of gunfire. The men on the military jeeps did the same, as they stood on the back of their vehicles with mounted M-60 fully automatics. Rocket propelled grenades zipped past Lilah from behind, coursing their way to the center of the small battlefield. A small smile crept onto Simon's face, as his eyes glimmered at the prospect of a good fight.

* * *

"…_two…"_

_

* * *

_

**Danger Room/-at the same time- **

The huddled students looked up while the distant echo of mortar and bullets rattled at them like haunted whispers. Sooraya held a hand over her heart, and with lonely eyes, said a little prayer for their friends above. A young couple holding onto each other with trembling hands was almost in tears. Beckah bit her lip and shook her head.

* * *

"…_one."_

_

* * *

_

**Xavier Institute/-at the same time-**

One of the rockets began to steer wildly off course, spinning into the sky and exploding harmlessly above ground level, thanks to the telekinetic manipulation of the Hellion who led the students' charge. The other one in the meantime, disappeared without a trace, thanks to the efforts of a nimble teleporter in their fold. Hisako and Rockslide, as well as the other students with means of invulnerability made up the front line of their attack, acting as moving shields in order to take the brunt of the soldiers' barrage. At the same time, energy wielders returned fire, with a volley of blasts and charges of every color and constitution.

**

* * *

**

**Blackbird/17:43**

"Kitty, now!" Scott shouted. Kitty nodded her head, and took a deep breath. "Everyone, hold onto the plane!" she yelled, as she focused all of her energies in order to stretch her intangibility onto their aircraft. If it were not for the X-Men's endeavors earlier on, the young woman wouldn't have had a problem with the task. But three fractured ribs and a nearly torn off hand made it much more difficult for her to concentrate. And it showed. A massive fire erupted from the rear of the plane, consuming everyone and everything on board. Kitty screamed...

**

* * *

**

**Chapter 9, end**

**To be concluded...**

**Author's note: Well, I hope that one got you interested in this little story's last reel! Who will live? Who will die? Stay tuned true believers, because the end is near!**


	10. War

**Author's note: Dear Lord this is a long one. Maybe you ought to jsut print this out...anyway, this is it, the last chapter to my blatantly offensive soapbox! Good luck!**

**

* * *

**

**Concluding Chapter: "War"**

**

* * *

**

There was nothing but darkness. The sound of hurried footsteps echoed from the shadows, fading just a minute soon after they disappeared. "Hurry up!" barked a young woman. "I'm on it! I'm on it! I'm 'Surge', not 'generator'!" responded another. "I can't see where I'm- -" A loud explosion then cuts her off, forcing her down to the ground with a cry of shock. "It came from above." one of the girls declared in a frighteningly calm voice. "We need to get the system online, now!"

"Okay, okay! Let there be light!" the girl declared. The sound of electricity surging then streaked across the area, as one by one, the lights began to turn on. And soon enough, the familiar blue walls of the institute's sub-complex were visible once more.

"_Thank you very much, Noriko."_ Celeste telepathically communicated, as the lights on the Cerebra chamber lit up to reveal the Three-in-One, their eyes lit white, with the rest of the student body's telepaths standing on hover disks behind them. "_Now, let's get back to work."_

_

* * *

_

**Outside/17:45 **

Another loud explosion rocked the grounds, while an endless barrage of gunfire tore through the air like smoking shards or orange light. There were no other sounds that night, nothing but the Earth cracking and mortar exploding, shells falling and men screaming. Julian raised a telekinetic shield to avoid getting skewered by lead, making sure that its protection extended to the others who did not have the benefit of invulnerability. "Go! Go! Go! Tanks at the front! Air support, cut their ranks!" he ordered once more, allowing the students with enhanced strength and endurance to take the lead. Fifty students going against more than two-hundred soldiers. They had no time to change into uniforms, or ready themselves for the onslaught. No time to tell the people they love how they felt or that they missed them. From your heart fluttering with butterflies at the sight of a pretty face, to staring down the barrel of the gun, all in the span of hours. No time at all. Rockslide was the first to tear into the soldiers' frontlines, aided by the fact that he was composed entirely of granite, and near-invulnerable to most firearms. Hisako didn't take long to follow, as she pummeled wildly at the soldiers in her reach. It didn't take long for the rest of students to catch up in a clash that soon sent bodies flying.

"Push forward." Lilah ordered while she watched the battle from behind. Her men complied, as they fought back, using their rifles as melee weapons in close quarters, while reserving shells for when they had a clear shot. One of the students quickly leaned to her left in order to avoid getting her skull cracked against the butt of the rifle, immediately returning the favor by leaping up and slamming her knee up to her assailant's chin. She did no notice another soldier stopping and aiming from behind. But the telepaths did. "_Duck!" _Cady ordered from inside the Cerebra chamber, high-jacking the girl's mind and forcing her to crouch in order to avoid getting shot from behind. "Next time, just warn me!" the girl shouted, creating a sphere of energy and blasting the soldier with it straight through the chest before he could regain his bearings. A short distance away, Mercury was cutting through a swath of soldiers with bladed arms, fighting alongside her squad leader, Julian, who telekinetically pushed a soldier into a group of incoming ones. "Hey Cessily, want to try something new?" the Hellion asked, while using his telekinesis to return a volley of bullets to the men who fired them.

"You know me…" she dryly responded.

"Liquid up!" Julian instructed, while the red-haired young woman complied. "And make sure you're sharp…" he reminded, as he levitated Mercury and began to swirl her edged, liquid form around him like a whip, easily cutting down the men who surrounded them. He no longer wondered why, even at his young age, he already knew so much about violence. Overhead, the winged Josh Guthrie, Cannonball's younger brother, flew in circles, attempting to gain the soldiers' attention in order to give the students at the ground some room to breathe. He didn't dare fly too low, lest he be taken in by the weaving bullets that came his way. And as he made a quick turn, another student by the name of Samantha Holly, a young female composed of green fire, swept by him. "You okay, Icarus?" she half-yelled, half-asked, before firing a stream of green flames on the ground. Sofia Mantega, the Venezuelan born Wind Walker, flew after her, using lashes of wind in order to further spread the fires. It didn't take long for the both of them to construct what looked to be a hedge maze, composed of bright green flames, which helped divide the enemy army, and give the students a fighting chance by taking them on in close quarters.

"There's so many of them!" Quill yelled, who concurrently dove out of a volley of bullet's trajectory while throwing sharp spikes to disable some enemy soldiers. He quickly got on his knees and bent his upper torso backward, hurling five spikes at the enemies who came from behind. "They aren't staying down!" he then shouted, immediately throwing more spikes at a pair of incoming soldiers. Two more approached him at the side, quickly opening a controlled burst of gunfire, which the boy was not lucky enough to dodge.

"_Rubbermaid, get him out of the field, now!" _one of the telepaths ordered, remote-controlling the girl with the power of elasticity to come to the aid of the severely wounded student before the enemy soldiers could finish him off. "_Elixir is waiting in the medical bay! Take him there!" _

She stretched through the middle of a soldier's legs, keeping the wounded boy in her arms. And as the dead man turned to make sure that neither of the children got away, a pair of ice-cold blades sliced clean through his neck. X-23 growled at the sight of the green and black blood that sprayed from the man's open neck, before leaping forward to avoid a burst of gunfire from the rest of the soldiers there. With a shrill war cry, she landed on the chest of a soldier in front of her, and immediately bounced off of him before the force of her weight could make him topple over. With the bullets flying in an attempt to catch her, she turned to her left while in mid-air, now facing another soldier, and immediately brought her right claw down across his chest. Meanwhile, one of the military jeeps parked by the gates exploded into the air, thanks to a well-aimed ball of fire from Samantha. On the ground, a male student wielding a mystic sword was busy severing limbs from the school's attackers, backed by a young feral who was doing an equally impressive job of tearing the invaders apart. "These children are very impressive." remarked Lilah, watching the students work as a team in order to gain the upper hand in battle. "But still. One little mistake on their part…and it will be over. They can't keep this up forever."

"Perhaps you could use your telepathy to subdue them, Ms. Graham." Her chauffeur, Simon, suggested, standing protectively beside her.

"I need to reserve my energies for Cerebra, Simon….but you're right…these kids in the field maybe protected by the telepaths inside, but I don't think the ones hiding in the mansion are…"

* * *

**Danger Room/18:00 **

"This isn't right." Beckah whispered, as she sat with her arms hugging her knees. Even from there, they could hear the ground cracking wide open. The Danger Room, now free of all Shi'ar technology thanks to the X-Men's recent encounter with it's rogue form, was filled to the brim with nervous students. Even some of those who agreed to defend the institute were forced to stay with the ones who didn't, since only the upperclassmen who successfully endured their squad training were permitted to battle above. It made for some very tense quarters, as most of the other students have already began arguing with each other about what was right and what was wrong. "This isn't right!" Beckah repeated, this time leaning closer to the student beside her in order to get his attention. Chris looked up with a startled expression. There were still red marks streaked across his neck, the remainder of his attempt to take his own life just hours ago. Beckah noticed them, but chose to ignore them out of politeness.

"…hey, aren't you…?" the young woman narrowed her eyes, recognizing that the student beside him was the 'charity-case' that her best friend Cady had referred to earlier on.

"…yes?" the young man asked with a slight stutter on his person, clearly not too comfortable with the art of dialogue. "Can I help you?"

"No…no, I was just saying that…this is really dumb."

"What is?" Chris questioned, still wondering why someone was actually speaking with him.

"We shouldn't be fighting them! They're giving us this…this amazing gift, and all we have to do is sit back and watch them do it!"

"…but we are sitting back and watching them do it…" Chris muttered, pointing out that none of them have done anything to help, or oppose Lilah's army.

"I lost my dad to the stupid war on terror."

"…I'm sorry…" Chris slowly answered, not at all experienced with handing out condolences.

"He should have been…if the people outside say they can put a stop to these pointless wars…then, then what's so bad about it?"

"…" Chris lowered his head, not entirely sure of what his stand on the situation is.

"We should help them." Beckah declared with a resolute expression on her face.

* * *

**Outside/-at the same time- **

'_We should help them." _Lilah held her hand to the air, her eyes closed, mouthing the Beckah's words with a sly smile. "_We should help them." _She repeated, before opening her eyes just in time to find a stray bullet seconds away from putting a hole through the middle of her eyes. A sudden blur saved her from instant death. "Thank you, Simon." Lilah muttered, as her eyes trailed to her chauffeur, who effortlessly caught the bullet with his fingers before it could hit Lilah. "My pleasure, Ms. Graham." He politely replied, before casually throwing the bullet away.

"I know you're itching for a good fight, Simon. But let's reserve our sadistic tendencies for the right time, shall we?" reminded Lilah, who now sat with crossed legs on top of the hood of a transport jeep.

"Of course, Ms. Graham."

* * *

**Helicarrier/18:26**

"What are you doing?" Hill asked as she leaned on the open doorway. The glaring light from the corridor outside bathed her figure in shadow, a seemingly perfect match for her less than sunny disposition.

"I'm doing what's right." Fury dryly retorted, as he shoved a full clip into his silver Desert Eagle. He then holstered it into his utility strap before taking a swig from the glass of wine on his desk.

"Your morality stance is so…full of shit." The woman shot back, before casually entering the co-director's office. He did not notice her give a quick glance to the glass he was drinking from, before she spoke once again. "We both know that what you're doing isn't because of right or wrong…you just want the X-Men to be so thankful for your help that the next time you ask them for a favor, you'll be sure that they won't be able to refuse."

"At least I don't get down on my knees and service people for what I need." Fury dryly retorted.

"You step out of this Helicarrier, and you'll be disgraced from S.H.I.E.L.D, Colonel." Hill then threatened, catching the old man's attention.

"And how do you work that out?"

"The continuous use of Government resources for your own private agendas? Interfering with matters that have no relation to S.H.I.E.L.D.? Going out on missions without the backing of the U.N.? Or perhaps never knowing when old horses like yourself have outlived your usefulness? Take a pick."

"I pick the middle one." Fury shot back, flipping her off with his right hand while taking out a small combat knife from his disk with the left. Hill shook her head. "Have you heard of the G.S.J. co-director?" Fury then asked. Hill nodded. "Government Sanctioned Jihad. And this matters, why exactly, Nick?"

"Apparently, some of the douche-bags in the executive branch have revived this project. You remember what it does right? It's the United States' very own little terrorist farm. Some sick fucks are paid to raise Middle-Eastern men and women to carry out acts of terrorism on our, and on foreign soil. We hire terrorists to bomb our own cities so we can blame it on somebody else. So we can tell the world that it is our right."

"Is this conversation leading anywhere? Or are you just trying to impress me with things I already know?"

"Did you know that five weeks ago, four women from the G.R.S. camp volunteered for genetic modification?" Fury asked, receiving only dead silence from the woman as response. "Because I sure as hell didn't." continued Fury, who now carried a distinct tone of agitation in his voice. "And to make things even better, these women were experimented on with the Rosetta parasites that S.H.I.E.L.D. has been culturing for decades. Do you remember what the Rosetta strain does? It can reanimate dead hosts, or give them extreme mutations should they be implanted when still alive. And those women were very much alive. So tell me, co-director…how does the G.R.S., a highly secretive branch of the shadow administration, get its hands on code white S.H.I.E.L.D. tech?"

"…you don't have proof of any of this."

"Don't bullshit me, woman. The Black Widow has been trailing the X-Men for the past three hours. Those women were G.R.S! And they were infected by Rosetta! Or maybe you should have a talk with a certain General Major Karl Messer who we intercepted leaving Karbala half an hour ago?"

"Are you accusing me of anything, colonel?" Hill asked, stepping up just to prove that she wasn't intimidated of him in the slightest.

"Of course not." Fury retorted, slinging a small bag over his shoulder. "But if I do find out that you're connected to this…"

"…this is for your own good, Nick." Hill whispered, before turning around and stepping away. Her cryptic words were enough to pique the co-director's interest. Outside, Hill took out a small remote from her belt, and pressed a button on it. It only took a second before she heard the man in the room fall to the floor.

"Thank God for nanotech." The woman muttered, before exiting the corridor, and locking it behind her.

* * *

**Cerebra/18:30 **

"We can't keep this up!" Cady shouted with an exhausted tone, while maneuvering one of the students out of harm's way. The telepath beside her, a young woman with no eyes and the name Blindfold, also looked to be in despair. "This is hopeless…" she muttered. "The pawns are climbing back to the board…and the titans haven't even come to join the war…"

"Vince is flat lining! I can't pull him out of it!" cried a female telepath.

"Yes you can! Concentrate!" Celeste shrieked. "Fire every synapse in his brain of you have to, just don't let him lose consciousness!"

"It would help if we had a helmet too!" one of the telepaths shouted back, referring to the amplifier helmet that the Stepford Cuckoo had on.

"Maybe we can argue some more after we're all dead!" another telepath yelled. "Teleporter to section five, now! Get Jillian out of there!"

* * *

**Outside/-at the same time- **

"Bullet's out!" Mark shouted, throwing the bloodied piece of metal to the ground. It landed beside the bodies of three other students who were still recovering from their injuries. A female student was busy tending to their needs. "Okay, okay…" Elixir took a deep breath as he placed his hands over Quill's shattered shin. He imagined the cells in the young man's body regenerating faster and faster, which they did, healing the entry wound immediately. "Abracadabra…" A flash of light then flared by Mark's side, signaling the appearance of one of the teleporters. He carried the bloody body of another student, and gently laid her down on the ground, before teleporting away once again. "Christ…neck wound…" Elixir mumbled as he knelt beside the unconscious girl.

"Didn't go deep…probably hit her at an angle…" Mark observed while keeping his hands over her neck.

"As long as it didn't nick her carotid artery, she'll be fine." Elixir reassured, to himself more than anyone, as he began to work on healing the young girl.

"I should be out there…" muttered Mark, turning his attention to the battlefield. The crumpled walls of the institute gave them cover, but even from there, he could still see the explosions flare and bullets race across the sky. The screaming was unbearable.

"What are you going to do? Kill them with your fade away?" Elixir sarcastically retorted, taking his hands off of the girl as her wounds were already closed. "I mean, your powers aren't exactly useful against people who, according to your girlfriend, are already dead…" he further remarked, while he held the girl's head up for Mark to take off his jacket and fold it underneath. He had a sleeveless black shirt on, one which showed a tattoo of Mindee's name emblazoned on his exposed arm.

"Still pissed I beat you at basketball?" asked Mark, with a smirk on his face.

"You didn't beat me, I allowed myself to lose." Elixir replied.

"Well, if I live through this, then you can have a rematch." Mark then said, as he got on both feet.

"Mark, what the hell are- -"

"See you, man." Mark whispered, ignoring Elixir's protests, and charging into the battlefield with the rest of the students. Rubbermaid sped past him, obviously carrying another wounded student back to Elixir's care. It didn't take long before the voice of his friend calling him back was drowned by a cacophony of gunfire. Across the field, Lilah watched the proceedings below the mansion with a telepathic eye. She knew that the coordination the students displayed, their seeming omniscience in the field as they turned from blind spot to blind spot without even the cue of sound from an enemy soldier, were all thanks to the telepaths inside the Cerebra chamber. And with their eyes fervently watching the field, not one them noticed the troubles rising from elsewhere.

"Now, Simon." Lilah ordered, finally unleashing her guard onto the battlefield. Rockslide, who up to this point had no problems dealing with the soldiers, was the first to notice him. Not that it mattered, as Simon effortlessly rammed him with a powerful shoulder tackle, going straight through the young mutant.

"Santo!" Julian cried in a panic, as he watched the pieces of his friend fly about.

Simon took a moment to dust himself off, and then half-turned to make sure that his employer was alright. "Go on." Lilah instructed, still watching from a safe distance. She was now encircled by a cadre of soldiers, ensuring her safety, while relying on Simon to clear a way for them into the ruins of the Georgian manor across the front lawn. "Yes ma'am." Simon responded, only to come across Hisako, a young, Japanese girl with an armor composed of pure energy, coming his way. "…!" she quickly clubbed him on top of the head with both hands, clearly not holding back after seeing what he did to Rockslide just a few moments ago. Not relenting for a second, she then cracked her armored fist against the agent's jaw. Starting with her left, and then following up with a powerful right. But no matter how many blows she landed, Simon was still planted firmly on his feet. "Die!" Hisako shrieked, ready to strike once more. Simon chuckled. Before Hisako fist could connect to him once more, Simon retaliated with a quick hook of his own. His movement was so fast, that Hisako literally didn't even see what hit her, before everything went black. Another student rushed at Simon from the side, swinging a mystical sword aimed right for the man's neck. Too slow. Simon didn't even need to look at the young man's direction to catch the blade with his bare hand. The student looked on in shock as smoke began to swelter from the man's palm.

"Pathetic." he muttered, clenching his fist tight in order to dissipate the student's weapon. He then grabbed the young man by the neck, and easily snapped it without so much as a hint of remorse. Behind him, a squad of soldiers planted what looked like a drilling machine into the soil, latching it to the ground with small spikes, before activating a lever on its side, and then taking a step back. Light blue energy slowly began to focus beneath what looked like the barrel of a cannon, situated at the middle of the machine and aimed right at the ground. Three squads of soldiers then positioned themselves around the machine, their rifles at the ready. "No one gets close to the machine." Lilah sternly instructed, to which Simon nodded in response. The barrel of the machine began to spin, as bright, orange energy began to gather around it's base.

* * *

**Danger Room/18:48**

"What do you mean 'help them'? Are you insane?" Laurie yelled, trying to knock some sense into Beckah, who had already joined the other students who preferred Lilah's proposition over the alternative. Beckah in turn, wasn't shy about yelling back. It wasn't a stretch to say that the Danger Room was just as volatile as the battleground over its head.

"We're this close! This close to World War Three!" one of the students from the other end of the room shouted. "Are we seriously going to wait for it to happen?"

"This isn't the way!" a female student protested, even though her boyfriend was clearly trying to prevent her from getting involved.

"Well what is? We've talked about changing the world for the better! And this is it! This is our chance!"

"Listen to yourselves! Don't you see what you're becoming? Where are we? The junior totalitarian club?"

"Everyone just stop arguing!" Laurie yelled. "I have half the mind to just turn you all into manic-depressives!" she further threatened. But before she could even think about actually using her pheromone-based powers to ease the situation, she suddenly received a fist across her jaw.

"No." Beckah grimly responded, while the rest of the students watched in shock.

"Bitch!" one of Laurie's friends shrieked, before jumping Beckah from behind. Sooraya screamed for them to remain calm, only to receive a ferocious concussive blast from behind, knocking her out. It didn't take long before the rest of the students began to join in the fray, pulling no punches as they started using their powers against each other.

* * *

**Outside/19:00**

"Down!" Mark yelled to a female student, as he jumped a soldier who was about to grab her from behind. The moment that they both hit the ground, the young man immediately rolled forward, delivering a quick elbow to a soldier at his front. He then slanted to his left as he got up, kicking the barrel of a soldier's rifle upwards, turned a full three-sixty, and then the slammed the back of his fist against the man's jaw. The girl covered him from behind, taking care of the soldiers in her way with a couple of well-aimed plasma-knives.

"What is that thing?" the girl asked, still out of breath, while pointing at the machine that was continuously firing concentrated photons into the ground. "Is that a laser?"

Mark delivered a quick one-eighty that nearly took a soldier's head off, before turning to see what his fellow student was pointing at. "Oh…fuck…" he muttered, his eyes widening in horror as he realized what the machine was there for. "They're digging…" Mark looked to the ground, and then to the machine once more. "They're going to dig their way to Cerebra!"

* * *

**Cerebra/19:05**

"Just focus on staying alive, Mark." Mindee whispered, both vocally and telepathically. She had half the mind to force him to stay out of the battlefield entirely, but she knew he'd never forgive her if she did.

"Are they serious? They're actually going to dig their way down here?" one of the male telepaths asked, clearly in a state of dread. The rest of the telepaths soon joined in his alarm.

"Well, they aren't here yet." Phoebe quickly retorted. "The moment they're through, we incapacitate Cerebra, then head to the Danger Room…"

"I can feel it…" Blindfold commented. "…I feel the house breaking apart…"

"Not now, Blindfold!" Cady snapped, sick of her fellow telepath's cryptic utterances. "Watch out for Evan!"

"Wait…the house is…" The Three –in-One exchanged worried glances with each other while they spoke in unison. "…whose keeping an eye on the other students?"

* * *

**Xavier Institute, Sub-Complex/19:08 **

Noriko rushed to the Danger Room, worried about the racket going on inside. With her powers spent from re-charging the entire sub-complex after Lilah's EMP went off, she honestly had no idea what to do in case there was trouble inside. Nonetheless, she came. The institute had a way of turning people into heroes. She stopped in front of the Danger Room's gargantuan double-doors, never noticing how menacing it looked if you didn't know what lied behind. Another scream made her jump. "Okay…" she uttered to herself, ignoring her pounding heartbeat. With the last of her strength, she generated a small bolt of electricity, and fired it at the keycard panel beside the door. It was only then that she heard the faint voice of the telepaths, as if catching up from behind a corner, telling her not to open the door. Too late.

"Oh God…" uttered Noriko, her mouth hanging open at the sight of the students in an all out war with each other., with a lot of the younger ones were already knocked unconscious by the upperclassmen. And in the place of bright, young faces, were masks of frenzied savages. Noriko stumbled back. These were not her friends. These were not the children she knew. And in that moment of horror, there was nothing of the strong, courageous young woman that the X-Men knew. In her place was a little girl, muttering the only word that crossed her mind. "_Help." _A sudden orb of bright yellow energy then struck her right in the stomach, silencing her immediately.

* * *

**Cerebra/19:10 **

"What is happening?" a telepath screamed, clearly hysterical over the sight of the battle in the Danger Room. "Oh my God…look at what they- -"

"Keep quiet!" Celeste scolded, trying her best to maintain order in the chamber.

"They're going to come here! We have to stop them!" screamed Cady. "God, their minds are a mess!"

"We can't calm them down, and watch out for the guys on the field at the same time!" one of them shouted back. "We have to tell everyone up on the lawn to fall back!"

"No. The last thing we need is for them to just end up fighting with the other students here." The Three-in-One commented. "If the soldiers catch up with us whole we're busy throwing plasma bolts at each other, then we're as good as dead."

"So what do we do? Wait for them to- -"

"Wait…is that…?" the Three-in-One looked up, prompting the others to follow.

* * *

**Outside/19:11 **

Mark shouted in anger as he swung the butt of an empty rifle across a soldier's jaw, nearly breaking the weapon in half. "They're pulling back!" he then yelled, taking note of the soldiers who began to escape the grounds of the institute. "Get out of our school!" a student yelled, in clear jubilation, as the students pushed the soldiers further back. Exclamations of triumph began to overwhelm the sound of energy bursting and electricity crackling. Lilah shook her head. At the same time, the airborne mutant who was composed of green fire had taken it upon herself to try and bring Simon down, swooping down and throwing a ball of fire in his direction each chance she could. She knew that as long as she remained out of his reach, then she would be fine. And with that cold comfort, she dove down again, firing another volley that managed to force Simon to the ground. "Strike!" she yelled with pride, as she got up once again, and readied another ball of flame.

But before Samantha could deliver anymore damage to the man below, a soft sparkle caught the corner of her eye. A sparkle that brought immeasurable hope to her heart. It was the light from a turbine. "Is that…?" she squinted her eyes; her spirit lifting at the thought of the X-Jet headed their way. Their nightmare would be over. They would win. "…!" but as quick as it came, the joy in her heart was soon replaced by an overwhelming sense of trepidation. More lights. More turbines. "Oh my God!" the young woman turned to the students on the field, others still busy pushing the soldiers back, others already in joyous celebration. And as a thousand thoughts raced across her head, about how it wasn't fair, about how they were already winning, she took a deep breath, and shouted at the top of her lungs.

"Sentinels! They've got Sentinels!"

* * *

**Cerebra/19:15**

"There they are…the titans have come…" Blindfold spoke softly, as the image of a dozen Sentinels approaching the institute was burning into their minds. The other telepaths on the other hand, simply could not find the words. Cady had covered her mouth with both hands, as she began to shake her head in misery, while another student fell on his knees with the same expression of despair washed over his face.

"…Alright…pull back…" murmured the Three-in-One. "The sub-complex should give us enough protection, everyone, everyone pull- -" The sound of the double-doors opening interrupted the telepaths from their stratagem. With their attention fixed on the Sentinels, they never noticed the mob that had gathered outside. The telepaths had little time to react, as the bloodthirsty students streamed down the bridge, screaming and shouting that they should hand Cerebra over to the woman outside. Cady screamed as a pair of male students jumped onto the hover disk that she and Blindfold stood on, one of the pair actually managing the leap, while the other slipping and then hanging on to its edge. "No, get off, get off!" the telepath pleaded, as the student began to wrestle her violently. Blindfold, for her part, attempted to pull the young man off of her fellow telepath, only to earn herself the back of his elbow right on the nose. Cady screamed for the man to stop, all in vain, as he threw Cady off of the hover disk, sending her plummeting to the bottom of the Cerebra chamber with a sickening crack that split her skull wide open.

* * *

**Outside/19:18 **

The students on the field had now retreated into the remains of the institute's main building, using the broken walls for cover, while at the same time taking the moment to regroup. They started numbering at fifty, but now, after the initial battle, their number has been whittled down in half, though thanks to Rubbermaid, Elixir, and the teleporters, none of the casualties were actual fatalities. Though there were a lot of close calls. Not to mention a couple more still on the line. "How's Rockslide?" Elixir asked, referring to the Hellion squad member who was just literally turned into his namesake. Julian gave him an exasperated look, and a thumb up along with it. Rockslide was still unconscious, but if it had not been for Julian using his telekinesis to put him back together, then he wouldn't be with them at all.

"Samantha's still freaked…" a male student whispered, as he held onto the trembling young woman, who was now out of her fiery form. No one knew what the Sentinels had nearly accomplished if the X-Men hadn't saved her, but nonetheless, the mere sight of the steel giants was enough to make her recall everything she ever lost. And the truth was, she lost too much.

"It'll be at least two minutes before those things touch down." Mercury remarked.

"We need a game plan." Sofia declared, keeping her mind on the goal no matter how exhausted she was. Her eyes connected with Julian's, and they shared a moment of tender silence before breaking off.

"Maybe if we get Sooraya…"

"Mindee!" Mark suddenly cried, gripping the sides of his head in clear anguish. The other students practically jumped in surprise; surprise which was soon replaced by concern, as they rushed to Mark's side. He couldn't hear them asking him what was wrong, or what had happened. All he knew was that the psychic rapport he shared with the girl he loved was now frying his brain, as he felt every torturous blow that she was receiving from below.

* * *

**Cerebra/19:23 **

Time seemed to slow down as more students rampaged into Cerebra. Some of them spilled over the sides of the bridge, joining the others they threw off with a loud thud. Their minds were practically broken. Incoherent. Crazed. A group of young men were manhandling the three sisters, throwing them onto each other, and beating them with quick jabs when they could. While others took the chance to do much worse than beat on them. The sisters were in too much pain to mount a reprisal, and much too weak to fend their violators off. Some of the other children were already cheering. Another loud crack, this time, from a fist that connected to the back of Phoebe's head, finally knocked her out of consciousness. A girl pulled on Celeste's hair, while a pair of boys began to move their hands all over her body. Mindee was in tears. "_Mark…" _she thought painfully, while she found herself pushed to the ground, the soles of leather shoes stomping her down. But even through the hurting that her body endured, the image of the boy she loved kept her strong. Kept her alive. His eyes. His smile. His embrace. Mindee closed her eyes, relishing in Mark's image, until it was consumed by fire. "_It is time." _came the voice of another, cold and heartless, as her entire body began to shake. "Mark!" she cried one more time, before her entire body was consumed by a blinding blaze.

* * *

**Outside/19:28 **

Mark screamed in pure agony, while the image of an endless inferno made invaded his mind. Julian was trying to shake him out of it, while the rest desperately called for him to fight it. All to no avail. The flames were spreading. Over nations, over continents, until the entire planet was consumed by its hunger. Then it came. The body of the raptor. The face of the Phoenix. Meanwhile, by the middle of the lawn, the laser drill let out a low hum, as the energy that it was firing began to diminish. "It broke through!" a soldier yelled, as his brothers in arms began work on unfastening the machine from the ground. "It broke through!" a soldier repeated, stopping as he noticed Lilah covering her face with both her hands. "Ms. Graham?" Simon approached her with an expression of worry on his usually stone-cold face.

"I'm alright, I'm alright." She then immediately defended, though the stain of blood from her nose seemed to suggest otherwise. Still, Simon knew that it in his line of work; it was never a good thing to pry. The soldiers had already taken the machine away, leaving behind a large, gaping hole that could easily be jumped into. At the same time, the sound of engines humming grew louder. A strong gust of wind blew their way, and for a moment, the moonlight was blocked by their presence. The Sentinels have landed.

* * *

**Unknown/-no time- **

"Mark…" slowly echoed a young man's voice. "Mark…wake up…" he repeated, urging Mark into consciousness. And there was nothing that greeted him except a heavy blanket of white. "Huh?" Mark immediately pushed himself up, wondering what exactly it was he pushed up against, as there was nothing above, beside, or below him, but an endless expanse of white space.

"Dude, seriously…you're way tougher than this." The voice remarked, prompting Mark to turn to the direction from whence it came. A young man's silhouette greeted him, and with it, a feeling of peacefulness that he had not felt since he was a child. "…Derrick?"

"Hey." He greeted, while doing a quick wave with his right hand.

"You're…" Mark furrowed his brows as he attempted to draw closer to his best friend, though each step he made seemed to make no difference, as the distance remained the same.

"Come on…like death is the end?" Derrick joked, even though it was clear that there was still a pang of regret in his voice. Nonetheless, he still smiled, because it was too long since he last saw the man he loved.

"What are you...?"

"The battle's far from over. You need to be strong. For her."

"…Mindee? Mindee, is she…?"

"She's beyond death now. That's why…you have to wake up."

* * *

**Xavier Institute/19:35 **

"_Wake up!" _Mark sat up, surprising Elixir, who was watching over him in the process.

"Hey, you're back!" Julian exclaimed, as looks of relief began to wash over the students' faces. "I was about to lead us all into certain death. Wanna' come with?" the Hellion then asked, pointing his thumb at the Sentinels who were now hovering on the front lawn. X-23 was on top off a broken wall, watching the Sentinels silently.

"Something's wrong. Downstairs." muttered Mark, as though he was still trying to regain footing.

"No kidding. Something's wrong everywhere." Icarus added, while keeping an arm over Samantha who had already calmed down thanks to the modulations of his angelic voice.

"The guys locked down the doors to the sub-complex after us, and the comm.-lines are down... we can't get back the way we went out." Sofia reminded. "…and that obnoxious looking woman already has a head start…" she then said, pointing at the hole that Lilah and Simon ha disappeared into.

"Then that's where I'm going." Mark resolutely announced, prompting the other students to trade worried looks.

"Anyone wanna' say something before we get our asses killed?" Rockslide asked in a hoarse voice, not five minutes back into consciousness, and already cracking jokes. Julian smiled and gave his friend a pat on the back, while the others exchanged comforting glances with each other.

"I'm going to die a virgin." volunteered one of the female students with a nervous giggle.

"I cheated on my midterm exam…and I still failed." another one declared, prompting the others to chuckle.

"…canceling Angel was the stupidest thing WB ever did." Rubbermaid proclaimed, to a resounding cheer of agreement from his fellow students. Mark shook his head, laughing softly, almost as if death wasn't literally at their doorstep. And with smiles on their faces, they stood, New Mutants and Hellions, Corsairs and Paragons, each one knowing that even if this were to be their last moments on Earth, there was no better way to go, than besides the people they held dear. Julian took a moment to wrap his hand around Sofia's own, flashing her a sweet smile that could melt anyone's heart. "How about a battle cry?" he asked, to which the young woman eagerly nodded. "Alright." she whispered, tightening her hold on Julian's hand. Julian nodded back, as he and Sofia took to the air, with a deep breath, and a finger pointed at their enemy, he shouted at the top of his lungs. "X-Men! For freedom! Let's bring it on!"

And so they soldiered forward. And they wore the name of their teachers proud. The Sentinels were quick to acknowledge their presence, as their dead eyes lit up like crimson lights. The rain pounded, the winds blew, and the Earth trembled, for it was time the final battle had begun. Bright lights of each color tore through the darkness, as both sides began throwing everything they could at each other, from bolts of energy to telekinetic assaults. And even though most of them simply slid off the Sentinels' armor, the students knew that they did not have the same privilege. Mark rolled out of the way of an incoming beam from the palm of a Sentinel, rushing in between its legs and towards the opening that was in the ground. Rubbermaid stretched behind him, keeping her eyes on the three squads of soldiers who were protecting the entryway with drawn rifles. "Hey, shoot me!" Mark yelled as he sprinted up to the troops. It didn't take much coaxing for the to oblige, as they all opened fire on the young man, who stopped in his tracks.

"Got it!" the Rubbermaid shouted, though with clear strain, stretching across Mark like a protective barrier, and catching all the bullets with her elastic body. Stretching herself further, she then quickly allowed her body to dense, sending the bullets flying back at the soldiers.

"You okay?" Mark asked, to which the Rubbermaid quickly nodded her head. With a clearing now available, Mark wasted no time diving into the hole, while the rest of the students kept the Sentinels at bay. Another beam of energy was fired in his direction, narrowly missing him as he disappeared into the tear. The fissure itself was cut clean, with the laser burning through the soil and the roots, which allowed for a relatively unscathed descent. Though to be honest, it wasn't as much the fall, as it was the landing that worried him the most. It only took five seconds before he hit the ground below, breaking his ankle in the process. With the adrenaline still rushing, he didn't even notice the pain swell, as he quickly got to his feet, and raced towards Cerebra. "_Be okay, be okay, be okay, be okay…" _he repeated in his head, as he picked up speed. He had lost his connection to the Stepfords, and he knew that whenever a psychic rapport is broken, nothing good could ever come out of it. Without slowing for a second, Mark turned the corner, and the sight he beheld shocked him so much that he lost balance, and slid to the floor.

"Jesus…" he whispered under his breath, as the sight of the unconscious students wrenched his soul. Aside from the bruises they suffered, blood had also trickled down their open eyes and noses. A psychic attack. "No!" Mark yelled, pulling himself up and then rushing across the sea of lifeless bodies, trying his best to ignore how they seemed to look up to him, as if in some silent condemnation. Another quick turn led him to the corridor that highlighted Cerebra. The doors were wide open. And even from there, he could see both Lilah and Simon inside. As it was with the corridors he had just passed, the bodies of motionless children were scattered inside, their bleeding eyes also wide open. But the three sisters weren't there. "No!" he yelled, charging inside with no fear of consequence or safety. "Get the hell away from that machine!"

"Simon?" Lilah didn't even turn to acknowledge the young man's existence, opting instead for Simon to make sure that he did not pose as a nuisance to her goal.

"Yes ma'am." The chauffeur responded, before suddenly dashing toward Mark, who had just stepped into the room. It only took a second for Simon to close the gap between them, purposely slowing down so that Mark had the time to realize the certainty of a brutal death. His mistake. Caught in surprise, Mark instinctively extended his arms, unleashing his mutant power and setting forth a brilliant light. Simon could only gasp as he felt the light surge through his body. Lilah too gazed in wide-eyed awe, feeling the mystical energy that came from the young man. It was brighter than anything she had ever seen, but curiously not at all blinding. A light-blue figure, looking like a naked puppet, was being unceremoniously pushed out of Simon's body. "No!" Mark yelled, turning his power off, a little too late, as the blue figure that resembled the shape of a man dissipated along with the bright light. Simon crumpled to the ground, his soul ripped from the shell that remained. "…" Mark got on all fours, and began to vomit, his mystic ability taking too great a toll on his body. "What…the…hell?" asked Lilah, pushing back a strand of hair caught in her eye. With the threat the student posed much more apparent, Lilah knew she had to take measures into her own hands. With a mad glint in her eye, she stretched her telepathy, digging into the young man's mind. To no effect.

"…get…away…from that…machine…" Mark reiterated, wiping his mouth and then slowly getting back on his feet. Lilah narrowed her eyes, a little startled to realize that something kept her target immune to telepathy. "You're going…going to pay for what you did here…" he then said, referring to the students by his feet. Lilah realized this, and shook her head.

"This wasn't my doing, boy."

"…what?"

"This isn't my doing. But if you don't want to see this happening to anyone else, then I suggest you step back, and allow me to continue."

"…" Mark licked his lips, still trying to regain his breath. "…no."

"Don't be stupid. I'm saving the world! Can't you see that?"

"…stop this." Mark uttered.

"Open your eyes! With Cerebra…with this…this godsend, I can free the world. I can dismantle every nuclear weapon, pull back troops from foreign lands…I can make sure that children like you never suffer through another World War!" Lilah argued, clearly growing impatient. "No more unequal treatment. No more religious division. No more- -"

"No." Mark answered again, with a conviction that betrayed his weakened body.

"Excuse me?" Lilah asked.

"…what gives you the right to do any of this?" Mark then asked, taking a step closer to the frustrated woman. "Tell me. What right?"

"Don't belittle me, boy. I've been through every war you could imagine- -"

"So what?"

"…"

"I mean, are you dense? What you're doing…going through all these lengths, for what? You're going to force people to do something against their will! That's not a gift! It's terrorism! No matter what it is, it's terrorism!"

"How dare you- -"

"Look around! Look around! Is this what freedom really costs? You're going to build your new world on the blood of sixteen year-olds? You have no right! Don't you see that? You have no right!"

* * *

Chris opened his eyes. With his back still firmly pressed against the corner wall, he finally saw what had become of the students who, in their frenzied state, had attempted to beat him, quite possibly to death. There was a trail of bodies leading up to him, the nearest only an inch away, arms outstretched as if in an attempt to reach the frightened young man.

* * *

"_It's our differences that make us human! It's our… our achievements…"_

_

* * *

_

Julian swerved as he flew through the air, avoiding a Sentinel's death ray by just an inch. "Go to hell!" he then screamed, focusing his energies in order to attack the giant machination with the telekinetic equivalent of a wrecking ball. At the same time, from below, X-23 stabbed at it from behind the knees, their combined effort resulting in the downfall of the mechanical monstrosity.

* * *

"…_our mistakes…"_

_

* * *

_

Samantha shrieked at the top of her lungs as she poured an endless stream of fire right into the face of a Sentinel. It was rage which now fuelled her, rage which made her strong. Yet, it was also rage which blinded her to the fact that another Sentinel had her on its sights. "Die! Die! Die!" she screamed, as the Sentinel she was burning staggered back. She did not hear Icarus' calling her name. Too late. A beam of focused energy tore into her from behind, killing her instantly.

* * *

"…_it's the way that…that even though things seem so bleak…"_

_

* * *

_

"Samantha!" Icarus flew towards the Sentinel with his fists outstretched. Without thought or hesitation, he crashed both of his arms into the Sentinel's eye, shattering his bones in the process, but doing damage to gargantuan machine nonetheless. Icarus screamed in pain, and before he could even adjust, he felt the back of its palm crack into his body, knocking him out, and sending him plummeting down. "I've got him!" Rubbermaid yelled, stretching herself in order to catch the winged mutant in time.

* * *

"…_so desperate…"_

_

* * *

_

A sudden blast then blew both Rubbermaid and the unconscious Icarus away, and even though it was not a direct hit, it was enough to send the young girl dangerously close to the brink. Another Sentinel drew closer, reaching out its palm, and firing a thermal blast in order to finish the job. It was only the timely self-sacrifice of Rockslide that saved both mutants' lives, as he threw himself on top of them in order to take the brunt of the Sentinel's attack. His agonized scream was gut-wrenching.

* * *

"…_we still find the strength to hang in there…"_

_

* * *

_

A sudden barrage of automatic gunfire then tore into the Sentinel's face, freeing the three mutants from the brink of death. With his last remaining strength, Santo looked up, and for the first time that evening, the rain had stopped, and the dark clouds have parted, revealing a dazzling full moon, and a ray of hope at its center. It was the blackbird. The X-Men were home at last. "Hank, keep firing." Cyclops instructed, pure fury seeping from his voice. "Tanks, toughen up! Let's show these sons of a bitches who they're really messing with!"

* * *

"…_and before you know it…"_

_

* * *

_

The Sentinels quickly turned and fired at the X-Jet, all of which proved useless as the Beast outmaneuvered each beam, before returning fire with a volley of gunfire and missiles, which promptly took out the midsections of two more Sentinels. "_Julian. Get everyone back." _Emma telepathically instructed, as Hank sped the X-Jet right across the Sentinels, opening the hatch at the bottom of the plane as he did. Colossus, Shadowcat, and the Wolverine jumped out, each one latching on to a Sentinel, and decimating them from thereon without a second thought.

* * *

"…_everything's all right again."_

_

* * *

_

Henry pulled the Blackbird with a quick turn, continuing its barrage of armor-piercing rounds on the other sentinels. Back on the ground, Hisako, who was back in her armored form, hurled a feral X-23 right to another Sentinel's guts, nearly sending her through and through. At the same time, Sofia flew overhead, generating concentrated funnels of wind to slice across the Sentinel's metal face. One of the mechanical abominations focused its optic blast on the Windwalker, only to find its head turn uncontrollably to the direction of another Sentinel, skewering it instead. Julian smiled at the result of his handiwork.

* * *

"_That there's still hope after all."_

_

* * *

_

Lilah took a deep breath, clearly in some deep thought, as she watched the young man speak from the heart. She lowered her head. She had to admit that it was so long before she met someone as true to what he felt as the young man who now stood in front of her. But moreover, he reminded her of someone she lost. Of the reason why she was there in the first place.

* * *

"We…we exist because we stumble down…" Mark continued, trying his best to reach the woman with his words. "…but we live because we know how to pull ourselves back up. If you take that away…take that away, no matter for what reason, then you aren't left with people. You're left with shells. I, I want to see…I want all this war and terror shit to end as much as you do, but I know… I know that even if there may not be an easy way…there's still a right way. And what you're trying to do…it's just not right."

"…" Lilah lowered her head for a moment. "…you sanctimonious brat."

"…" Mark looked at her with a defeated expression.

"We've passed the point of no return." she took her Luger out of her blazer, and promptly aimed it at the young man. "Freedom always has a price. Freedom is always built on bloodshed. I…I will be hated for the rest of my life… and I will spend an eternity in hell for all of this…but it's the price to pay for ensuring that the world will no longer be wallowing in sin. My damnation will bring about perfect harmony for the rest of mankind. I'm giving people the gift of freedom. And you can't stop me."

"Tell me…is it still freedom if you force it on someone?"

"…they'll never know." Lilah responded, cocking the gun in her hand, and ready to pull the trigger. Mark tensed, knowing full well that he didn't have enough energy to snatch up her soul like he did her bodyguard. "I'm sorry." whispered Lilah, unable to hide the quiver in her voice. Mark closed his eyes, much too exhausted to even attempt to dodge the bullet. Lila took a deep breath, ready to finish the job, until a sudden thought crossed her mind. A thought that she so desperately tried to push back. "_He's just like him…just like my little boy…" _

With Mark's eyes still shut, he never saw the woman begin to tremble, and slowly, slowly lower her gun. "…_my beautiful baby boy…"_ Lilah held back her tears. Both of their hearts were now beating faster and faster, as their fates hung on a thin line. A woman reaching twilight who had seen so much, facing down a young man who chooses to look at the brighter side of life. Lilah shook her head, and dropped the gun. That was when she felt two invisible hands forcefully shove her off the side of the bridge. She let out a cry of shock, one that soon escalated into a scream of fear, as she fell plummeted to the bottom of Cerebra. Mark opened his eyes, and rushed to the edge of the platform, just in time to see the woman landing on her head, and twisting it all the way around. She died instantly. "Are you okay?" came a young man's voice from behind him. It was Chris.

"…" Mark stared at him at first, before shaking his head and turning his attention to one of the downed students. "We still have work to do." he then muttered, lifting the student up with both hands. Chris nodded, and followed Mark's lead.

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**The Next Day/09:00 hours**

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"How are the kids?" Kitty asked, while adding some modifications to a panel beneath the Cerebra mainframe. Emma put the amplifier helmet on, and began to test around. "Aside from losing Cady, Alan, Steve and Samantha? And the lawsuits we'll undoubtedly be hearing? Broken bones seem to cover the worst of it…though removing the psychic lock we found the students in did take away five hours of my life that I could never get back. Did you know those kids were awake the whole time? They were just paralyzed…huh; my frequencies are aligned to the thoughts of codfish…astounding."

"Healers have been crying all day." Kitty then commented. "Some of the kids are still at each other's throats after what happened in the danger room…how about now?" she asked, tuning in a dial by an oscilloscope. "See anything?"

"Wait, yes, there…we've locked to the Omega levels." Emma held onto the amplifier helmet, as waves of light blue sparks began to emanate form her forehead. It took awhile for her to scan the Earth's surface, looking for any signs or sightings of their target. "…no, they're not there."

"Maybe we should just wait outside and watch the sky for giant firebirds…" Kitty suggested, wiping the sweat off of her forehead. "I mean, the Phoenix always find her way back to the mansion."

"…well until that day comes…" Emma sighed and shook her head. "You know… Katherine…I don't think I've thanked you yet."

"…for what? For exposing the institute to danger? Or for risking the team in some wild goose chase that- -"

"You saved my life, Katherine. Twice. I know that you don't…won't…trust me. Ever. But nonetheless, I'm still very glad that I have you watching my back when I need it."

"…thanks…Emma."

"Now, should my compliments reach the ears of others, I will deny it vehemently, understood?"

"Hell yes."

* * *

**Basketball Court/09:10**

Mark leaned back, raised his hands over his head, and landed a perfect three-point shot that slid down the ring. The basketball then fell to the ground with a soft thud, as it bounced back his way. "…" Mark shambled towards the ball, picked it up, and then proceeded to return to the three-point-margin. He's been at it for three hours already. His connection to his missing girlfriend was now dead, and the thought of losing another person he loved so much was nothing short of unbearable. Once again he began to dribble the ball, slowly, as if in some way hoping that Mindee would just turn up right on time for him to land another shot. A fool's hope for whatever it was. "…" Mark leaned back, and raised his hands over his head. The school siren blared. It was the signal for a meeting in the school auditorium, obviously regarding the events of last night. Mark threw the shot. Three points. "You coming?" Julian called from the bench. He's been sitting there silently for almost two hours now, watching his friend lose himself further and further into despair. Mark shook his head, as he shambled once more to the ball. He could hear Julian telling him to take care, but he was still so out of it that it barely even registered. He felt nothing except the weight on his heart. Mark then went back to the three-point margin, and began to dribble. Waiting. Waiting. Until he threw the ball to the ground with a frustrated scream. It rolled off into the grass. Julian looked back at his friend with pitying eyes, watching someone who was once so full of life, now reduced to a husk. This is what they fought for. And how beautiful it was.

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**The End**

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**Author's note: Will there be a sequel? Of course! Never mind the fact that this story has fewer reviews than there are pygmy shrews! Anyway, thanks for you who have stood by with the story from beginning to end. It's been fun writing it, and I don't think I can ever do a finale like this ever again. Hurts to type, hurts to read. Anyway, this took longer than I expected, and my stubborn refusal to allow for my stories to exceed ten chapters surely shows. Again, thanks for the time of day you spent on this. TTFN! **


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